The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued three opinions from April 3-9, while the Texas Supreme Court issued none. Both courts are the state’s courts of last resort. As of April 9, the court of criminal appeals issued 92 opinions in 2023 — 11 more than this point a year ago. The supreme court issued 29 opinions as of April 9, 2023 — nine fewer than this point a year ago. The three opinions are below:
- MANUEL, JOHN PAUL Appeal from CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT # 3 of Dallas County (original per curiam), where the court “found that Applicant was denied his right to an appeal due to no fault of his own.” The court granted the applicant postconviction habeas corpus relief.
- MANUEL, JOHN PAUL Appeal from CRIMINAL DISTRICT COURT # 3 of Dallas County (concurring by Judge Slaughter), which concurs with the opinion above.
- DUVALL, ERIC MATSUMURA Appeal from Criminal District Court No 1 of El Paso County (original per curiam), where the court found that “appellate counsel’s performance was deficient and that Applicant would have timely filed a petition for discretionary review but for counsel’s deficient performance.” The court granted the applicant postconviction habeas corpus relief.
From April 3-9, state supreme courts issued 144 opinions nationally. The Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia issued the most with 26. State supreme courts in 19 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 69 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 75.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court are the state’s courts of last resort. The former is the state’s court of last resort for criminal matters, while the latter is the state’s court of last resort for civil matters; both have nine judgeships. Sharon Keller and Nathan Hecht are the current chiefs of the criminal and supreme courts, respectively. Combined, the courts issued 413 opinions in 2022 and 536 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,787 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 976 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 811. Texas is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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