Ex Parte Okere

56 S.W.3d 846, 2001 Tex. App. LEXIS 6067, 2001 WL 1000952
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedAugust 31, 2001
Docket2-00-496-CR
StatusPublished
Cited by79 cases

This text of 56 S.W.3d 846 (Ex Parte Okere) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ex Parte Okere, 56 S.W.3d 846, 2001 Tex. App. LEXIS 6067, 2001 WL 1000952 (Tex. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

WALKER, Justice.

Applicant, Samuel Okere (“Okere”), appeals the denial of his application for a writ of habeas corpus. We will affirm.

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A jury convicted Okere of misdemeanor assault. He entered into an agreement with the State concerning sentencing. The sentencing agreement included a $500 fine, court costs, and a one-year sentence, probated for two years. The State subsequently filed a motion to revoke Okere’s probation.

A warrant for Okere’s arrest was issued based on the State’s motion to revoke, and Okere was arrested. He was later released on bail pending a hearing on the State’s motion to revoke probation. Okere then filed an application for a writ of habe-as corpus and a first amended application for a writ of habeas corpus, claiming ineffective assistance of counsel. Following a hearing on the first amended application for writ of habeas corpus, the trial court denied the writ. Okere appeals that denial.

APPELLATE COURT JURISDICTION

In both of his applications to the trial court and in his appeal to this court, Okere bases his right to relief on articles 11.01 and 11.09 of the code of criminal procedure. 1 Tex.Code CRiM. PROC. Ann. arts. 11.01, 11.09 (Vernon 1977). Article 11.09 authorizes writs of habeas corpus in misdemeanor cases. Id. art. 11.09. The State contends that we lack jurisdiction over Ok-ere’s appeal because: (1) the trial court never issued a writ of habeas corpus; and (2) Okere was not “confined.”

1. Issuance of writ of habeas corpus.

The State argues that unless the trial court issues a writ of habeas corpus, we lack jurisdiction over a trial court’s denial of habeas relief. A writ of habeas corpus is an order from a judge commanding a party, who is alleged to be restraining the applicant in some way, to appear before the court with the object of the alleged restraint and- explain the reasons for the restraint. Id. art. 11.01; Ex parte Hargett, 819 S.W.2d 866, 868 (Tex.Crim.App.1991). The well-established rule of law is that when an application for habeas corpus alleging unlawful restraint is presented to a judge who refuses to issue a writ commanding the person having the applicant in custody to produce him for a determination of the allegations in the application, no appeal lies. Ex parte Hargett, 819 S.W.2d at 868; Ex parte Johnson, 561 S.W.2d 841, 842 (Tex.Crim.App.1978) *850 (applying principle to article 11.09 writs); Ex parte Reese, 666 S.W.2d 675, 677 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1984, pet. ref'd) (applying principle to article 11.07 writs). When the trial judge denies the writ, a petitioner’s remedy is to “present his application to another judge having jurisdiction.” Ex parte Johnson, 561 S.W.2d at 842; see also Ex parte Hargett, 819 S.W.2d at 868.

The trial court may conduct a limited, preliminary hearing to determine whether to issue a writ of habeas corpus. Ex parte Hargett, 819 S.W.2d at 868; Ex parte Reese, 666 S.W.2d at 677. After such hearing, if the trial court refuses to issue the writ, no appeal lies. Ex parte Reese, 666 S.W.2d at 677.

Conversely, when a hearing is held on the merits of the applicant’s claim for relief and the trial court rules on the merits of that claim, the losing party may appeal regardless of whether the trial court issued a writ of habeas corpus. Ex parte Hargett, 819 S.W.2d at 868; Ex parte Reese, 666 S.W.2d at 677. The court of criminal appeals explained this concept in Ex parte Hargett:

It is well settled that no appeal can be had from a refusal to issue or grant a writ of habeas corpus even after a hearing. However, the portion of that statement of law which we have emphasized can be confusing so, we will clarify it. In the cases which rely on that statement of law, the “hearing” which is being referred to is one which a court might hold in order to determine whether there is sufficient cause for the writ to be issued or whether the merits of the claim should be addressed. That type of hearing is not the same as one which is held to ultimately resolve the merits of an applicant’s claim. When a hearing is held on the merits of an applicant’s claim and the court subsequently rules on the merits of that claim, the losing party may appeal.

819 S.W.2d at 867 (bold emphasis added) (footnote omitted). The court of criminal appeals held that the appellate court erred in determining that it lacked jurisdiction simply because the trial court did not issue a writ of habeas corpus:

The Court of Appeals correctly ruled that the trial court did not issue a writ of habeas corpus. However, it erred in concluding that it had no jurisdiction to hear the appeal from the trial court’s order denying relief. This is not a case where the district court simply refused to hear the application as presented. Here, the court went beyond merely deciding not to issue the writ of habeas corpus. The court, in this instance, undertook to rule on the merits of the application.
It is important to recognize that there is a distinction between the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus and the granting of relief on the claims set forth in an application for that writ. The trial court in the instant case did not issue the requested writ of habeas corpus. However, he did not dismiss the application either. Instead, the court undertook to rule on the merits of applicant’s claim and hence, the court of appeals has jurisdiction over applicant’s appeal.

Id. at 869 (footnote omitted). Therefore, under Ex parte Hargett, the crucial question is not whether the trial court did or did not issue the writ, but whether the court did or did not consider and resolve the merits of the petition. Ex parte Gonzales, 12 S.W.3d 913, 914 (Tex.App.—Austin 2000, pet. ref'd); Ex parte Barnes, 959 S.W.2d 313, 315 n. 3 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 1997, pet. dism’d, improvidently granted); see also Ex parte Bowers, 36 S.W.3d 926, 927 (Tex.App.—Dallas 2001, pet. ref'd) (holding appellate court lacked jurisdiction because record did not reflect trial court considered merits of habeas ap *851 plication). Thus, we possess jurisdiction over Okere’s appeal if the trial court conducted a hearing addressing the merits of his first amended application for writ of habeas corpus. Ex parte Gonzales, 12 S.W.3d at 914.

To determine whether the trial court considered and ruled upon the merits of Okere’s application, we examine the record.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
56 S.W.3d 846, 2001 Tex. App. LEXIS 6067, 2001 WL 1000952, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/ex-parte-okere-texapp-2001.