In Re Erica D. Haywood v. the State of Texas

• Court: Texas Court of Appeals, 1st District (Houston)
• Decided: January 22, 2026
• Docket: 01-26-00046-CR
• Status: Published

Opinion

Opinion issued January 22, 2026

In The

Court of Appeals For The

First District of Texas ———————————— NO. 01-26-00046-CR ——————————— IN RE ERICA D. HAYWOOD, Petitioner

Original Proceeding on Petition for Writ of Habeas Corpus

MEMORANDUM OPINION

Erica D. Haywood, proceeding pro se, filed a petition for writ of habeas corpus

“from all convictions [she has] resulting from courts of the State of Texas.”

Haywood stated that her petition “should be filed with the Texas Court of Appeals

at Houston, Texas due to convictions at courts at Galveston, Houston and Richmond,

Texas and convictions at San Antonio, Amarillo, Lubbock[,] Fort Worth and El Paso

Texas.” She further alleged that “[t]hese cases [were] all frivolous and based upon political cruelty, irreverence, and socialism,” and therefore the “[c]onvictions should

be dismissed by [the] Court of Appeals.”

We dismiss the petition for writ of habeas corpus for lack of jurisdiction.

Intermediate appellate courts do not have original habeas jurisdiction in

criminal law matters. See TEX. GOV’T CODE ANN. § 22.221(d) (original habeas

jurisdiction of courts of appeal is limited to cases in which person’s liberty is

restrained because person violated order, judgment, or decree entered in civil case);

Chavez v. State, 132 S.W.3d 509, 510 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2004, no

pet.). Our habeas corpus jurisdiction in criminal matters is appellate only. See TEX.

GOV’T CODE ANN. § 22.221(d); Ex parte Denby, 627 S.W.2d 435, 435 (Tex. App.—

Houston [1st Dist.] 1981, orig. proceeding). Original habeas jurisdiction in criminal

proceedings is limited to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the district courts,

and the county courts. See TEX. CODE CRIM. PROC. ANN. art. 11.05. We therefore

lack jurisdiction to grant Haywood’s request for a writ of habeas corpus.

Accordingly, we dismiss Haywood’s petition for writ of habeas corpus for

lack of jurisdiction. We dismiss any pending motions as moot.

PER CURIAM

Panel consists of Justices Guerra, Caughey, and Dokupil.

Do not publish. TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).