Court Opinion

ID: 9681567
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:52:42.74894+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:34.457965
License: Public Domain

MeCORMICK, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. This Court’s recent decisions in George v. State and Harrell v. State seem to compel the majority’s holding in this ease. See George v. State, 890 S.W.2d 73 (Tex.Cr.App.1994); Harrell v. State, 884 S.W.2d 154 (Tex.Cr.App.1994). However, I dissent in this case because the State was not accorded fair procedures in either George or Harrell. See George, 890 S.W.2d at 76-77 (Clinton, J., concurring in the result); Harrell, 884 S.W.2d at 161-66 (Clinton, J., concurring in the result).
As Judge Clinton pointed out in his concurring opinion in George v. State, which I joined, the State has been blind-sided by this Court on “the question of the appropriate jury instruction in tandem with the question of the proper standard for admissibility.” George, 890 S.W.2d at 76-77 (Clinton, J., concurring in the result); see also Harrell, 884 S.W.2d at 161-66 (Clinton, J., concurring in the result). Had something like this happened to a criminal defendant, some people would be screaming “violation of due process.” But, quite incredibly this Court has decided law-abiding citizens, through their district attorneys, are not entitled to insist upon “fair” procedures.
As to the merits, the majority continues to show confusion “between the admissibility cases and the jury charge eases.” See Harrell, 884 S.W.2d at 166 (Clinton, J., concurring). I would apply the “plain” language of Article 37.07, Section 3(a), V.A.C.C.P., and hold that once the trial court has determined the extraneous offense “is shown beyond a reasonable doubt” the defendant is not entitled to a jury instruction that the jury also must find the extraneous offense to that level of confidence. The trial court should determine whether the extraneous offense “is shown beyond a reasonable doubt” with its ruling reviewed on appeal under an abuse of discretion standard.
I respectfully dissent.
MANSFIELD and KELLER, JJ., join this dissent.