Court Opinion

ID: 9368610
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-06 07:08:04.789228+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:09.358072
License: Public Domain

COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE
                           FIRST DISTRICT OF TEXAS AT HOUSTON

                                            ORDER

Appellate case name:         Mack Watson, Jr. v. The State of Texas
Appellate case number:       01-21-00281-CR
Trial court case number:     1520070
Trial court:                 263rd District Court of Harris County
       A jury convicted appellant, Mack Watson, Jr., of the offense of murder, and assessed
his punishment at confinement for forty years. The trial court appointed Andrew J. Smith
to represent appellant on appeal. On January 24, 2022, appellant’s appointed counsel filed
a motion to withdraw as appellant’s counsel, stating that he had “been appointed by the
Harris County District Court Judges to serve as a Felony Associate Judge” beginning
February 1, 2022.
        Accordingly, on February 8, 2022, the Court abated this appeal and remanded the
case to the trial court to determine whether appellant’s appointed counsel should be allowed
to withdraw from representing appellant on appeal, and if so, the Court further directed the
trial court to appoint counsel, at no expense to appellant, to represent him on appeal. On
February 14, 2022, the trial court clerk filed a supplemental clerk’s record including: (1)
an order signed by the trial court granting Andrew J. Smith’s motion to withdraw, and (2)
an order appointing Mark A. Rubal to represent appellant on appeal.
        On April 12, 2022, we reinstated the case and set a deadline for filing of appellant’s
brief as May 12, 2022. Appellant received five extensions of the deadline before filing his
appellant’s brief on September 16, 2022. Accordingly, the State’s brief was initially due
on October 17, 2022. On December 16, 2022, the State filed its third motion for extension
of time to file a brief. The State’s third motion was granted, extending the deadline to
January 17, 2023. However, the State was notified by the Court that there would be “no
further extensions.”
        The State did not file its brief by the extended deadline. On January 18, 2023, the
State filed its fourth motion for extension of time to file a brief. The State notes that it has
“been unable to complete the State’s brief . . . in the time permitted” due to a heavy
workload and a large appellate record for this case. For that reason, the State requests a
further extension, to February 16, 2023, for the filing of the State’s brief.
        The State’s motion is granted. The State’s brief is due to be filed no later than
February 16, 2023. No further extensions will be considered by the Court and failure
to file a brief by February 16, 2023 may result in the Court setting the case “at-issue” and
considering and deciding the case without a brief from the State. See TEX. R. APP. P.
38.6(d).
       It is so ORDERED.

Judge’s signature: _____/s/ Amparo Guerra_______
                    Acting individually  Acting for the Court

Date: ___January 31, 2023_____