Davis v. State

870 S.W.2d 43, 1994 WL 5327
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Texas
DecidedJanuary 12, 1994
Docket1212-89
StatusPublished
Cited by261 cases

This text of 870 S.W.2d 43 (Davis v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Davis v. State, 870 S.W.2d 43, 1994 WL 5327 (Tex. 1994).

Opinions

OPINION ON APPELLANT’S AND STATE’S PETITIONS FOB DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

McCORMICK, Presiding Judge.

Appellant pled nolo contendere to the charge of aggravated possession of amphetamine. The trial court accepted appellant’s plea, found her guilty of the offense, and imposed a seven-year sentence recommended by the prosecutor and agreed to by appellant. See Article 1.15, V.A.C.C.P. Pursuant to Tex.R.App.Pro. 40(b)(1), appellant filed a “general” notice of appeal from her conviction.1

The Court of Appeals addressed, among other things, these issues: (1) whether the trial court erroneously denied appellant’s pretrial motion to suppress the evidence, and (2) whether the evidence was sufficient to support her conviction. Davis v. State, 773 S.W.2d 404 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1989). The Court of Appeals held appellant waived the issue of whether the trial court errone[45]*45ously denied appellant’s suppression motion, because her “general” notice of appeal failed to comply with the “extra-notice” requirements of Rule 40(b)(1). Davis, 773 S.W.2d at 408. Relying on Engelking v. State, 750 S.W.2d 213 (Tex.Cr.App.1988), the Court of Appeals also held the evidence insufficient to support appellant’s conviction. Davis, 773 S.W.2d at 407-08. The State and appellant filed petitions for discretionary review.2 We reverse the judgment of the Court of Appeals.

The State claims appellant’s “general” notice of appeal failed to confer jurisdiction on the Court of Appeals to address appellant’s sufficiency of the evidence claim. In relevant part, Rule 40(b)(1) provides:

“[Notice of Appeal] shall be sufficient if it shows the desire of the defendant to appeal from the judgment or other appeal-able order; but if the judgment was rendered u-pon his plea of guilty or nolo con-tendere pursuant to Article 1.15, Code of Criminal Procedure, and the punishment assessed does not exceed the punishment recommended by the prosecutor and agreed to by the defendant and his attorney, in order to prosecute an appeal for a nonjurisdictional defect or error that occurred prior to entry of the plea the notice shall state that the trial court granted permission to appeal or shall specify that those matters were raised by written motion and ruled on before trial.” (Emphasis Supplied).

The Court of Appeals held the “but” clause of Rule 40(b)(1) only applies where a defendant appeals nonjurisdictional defects or errors that occurred prior to entry of the plea. Davis, 773 S.W.2d at 406 (emphasis in original). Since sufficiency of the evidence is a nonjurisdictional defect occurring after entry of the plea, the Court of Appeals held the “but” clause of Rule 40(b)(1) does not apply to appellant’s sufficiency claim, and appellant’s “general” notice of appeal was sufficient for the Court of Appeals to review this claim. Davis, 773 S.W.2d at 406 (emphasis supplied).

The State, in effect, claims this interpretation of Rule 40(b)(1) impermissibly gives a defendant a greater scope of appeal than the Legislature intended. We agree.

“A defendant in any criminal action has the right of appeal under the rules hereinafter prescribed.” Article 44.02, V.A.C.C.P., as enacted in 1925; former Article 813, C.C.P. 1925; see generally Lemmons v. State, 818 S.W.2d 58, 59-63 (Tex.Cr.App.1991). In 1977, the Legislature added the following proviso to Article 44.02:3

“_provided, however, before the defendant [who has been convicted based on a negotiated plea and the trial court assesses punishment recommended by the prosecutor and agreed to by the defendant and his attorney] may prosecute his appeal, he must have permission of the trial court, except on those matters which have been raised by written motion filed prior to trial_” (Emphasis Supplied).

By order dated December 18, 1985, this Court repealed the proviso of Article 44.02, and replaced it with Rule 40(b)(1), effective [46]*46September 1, 1986.4 See generally Lem-mons, 818 S.W.2d at 62. In delegating authority to this Court to promulgate a comprehensive body of appellate rules in criminal cases, the Legislature expressly provided that these rules could not abridge, enlarge or modify the substantive rights of a litigant.5 See generally Lemmons, 818 S.W.2d at 59-63.

A defendant’s legislatively granted right of appeal is a substantive right. See Lemmons, 818 S.W.2d at 62; Morris v. State, 749 S.W.2d 772, 774 (Tex.Cr.App.1986). In Morris, the defendant’s notice of appeal limited his appeal to the trial court’s adverse ruling on his pretrial motion to quash the indictment; however, the only issue the defendant raised on appeal was the sufficiency of the evidence “to support the plea of guilty (sic).” Morris, 749 S.W.2d at 773. We held the defendant had no right to appeal the sufficiency of the evidence to support a plea-bargained conviction under the proviso to Article 44.02 unless the defendant obtained the trial court’s permission or raised the issue by written motion filed prior to trial, which he failed to do; therefore, the Court of Appeals lacked jurisdiction over the appeal. See Morris, 749 S.W.2d at 774-75. In promulgating Rule 40(b)(1), this Court acted on the assumption “that the body of caselaw construing the proviso [to Article 44.02] would prevail and still control.” Lemmons, 818 S.W.2d at 62. Therefore, we hold appellant’s “general” notice of appeal under Rule 40(b)(1) failed to confer jurisdiction on the Court of Appeals to review appellant’s sufficiency claim. See Morris, 749 S.W.2d at 774-75.

A plain reading of Rule 40(b)(1) supports this holding, and does not enlarge a defendant’s substantive right of appeal. The relevant portions of Rule 40(b)(1) should be read as follows:

“_in order to prosecute an appeal for a (1) nonjurisdictional defect [occurring before or after the plea], or (2) error that occurred prior to entry of the plea, the notice shall state that the trial court granted permission to appeal or shall specify that those matters were raised by written motion and ruled on before trial....”

Reading the phrase “that occurred prior to entry of the plea” as modifying only “error” makes Rule 40(b)(1) consistent with Morris. See Lemmons, 818 S.W.2d at 62 (prior case-law construing the proviso of Article 44.02 prevails and still controls). Moreover, reading Rule 40(b)(1) this way also makes it consistent with the admonishment in Article 26.13(a)(3), V.A.C.C.P.,6 that a trial court is required to give a defendant prior to accepting a guilty or nolo contendere plea.

We sustain the State’s first and second grounds for review. We find it unnecessary to address the State’s third and fourth grounds for review.

Appellant claims the Court of Appeals erred in failing to address the trial court’s ruling on her pretrial suppression motion. The statement of facts from the plea proceeding reflects appellant pled nolo contende-re with the understanding, and the trial court’s permission, that she would be able to appeal the trial court’s ruling on her suppression motion.

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Bluebook (online)
870 S.W.2d 43, 1994 WL 5327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/davis-v-state-texcrimapp-1994.