In the Interest of R.D., a Child v. the State of Texas
This text of In the Interest of R.D., a Child v. the State of Texas (In the Interest of R.D., a Child v. the State of Texas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Texas Court of Appeals, 7th District (Amarillo) primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Opinion
In The Court of Appeals Seventh District of Texas at Amarillo
No. 07-26-00157-CV
IN THE INTEREST OF R.D., A CHILD
On Appeal from the 251st District Court Randall County, Texas Trial Court No. 68851-C, Honorable Jack M. Graham, Presiding
April 13, 2026 MEMORANDUM OPINION Before PARKER, C.J., and DOSS and YARBROUGH, JJ.
Appellant, J.H., appeals from the trial court’s order terminating his parental rights
to his child, R.D. 1 The reporter’s record was due on March 23, 2026, but was not filed.
By letter of March 26, 2026, we notified the reporter that the record was overdue and
directed her to advise this Court of the status of the record by April 6, 2026. The reporter
has not filed the record or had any further communication with this Court to date.
Accordingly, we abate the appeal and remand the cause to the trial court for further
proceedings. See TEX. R. APP. P. 35.3(c) (“The trial and appellate courts are jointly
1 To protect the privacy of the parties involved, we refer to them by their initials. See TEX. R. APP. P. 9.8(b). responsible for ensuring that the appellate record is timely filed.”); 37.3(a)(2) (requiring
appellate courts to “make whatever order is appropriate to avoid further delay and to
preserve the parties’ rights” when the appellate record is not timely filed). On remand,
the trial court shall determine the following:
(1) what tasks remain to complete the filing of the reporter’s record;
(2) why the reporter has not completed the necessary tasks;
(3) what amount of time is reasonably necessary for the completion of those tasks; and
(4) whether the reporter can complete the tasks within the time the trial court finds reasonable.
Should the trial court determine that the reporter will require more than twenty days
to from the date of this order to complete, certify, and file the reporter’s record, it shall
arrange for a substitute reporter to do so. The trial court is directed to enter such orders
necessary to address the aforementioned questions. So too shall it include its findings
on those matters in a supplemental clerk’s record. Due to the time-sensitive nature of an
appeal from a parental termination order, the supplemental clerk’s record shall be filed
with the Clerk of this Court by April 23, 2026. See TEX. R. JUD. ADMIN. 6.2(a).
Should the reporter file the record on or before the date the trial court acts per our
directive, she is directed to immediately notify the trial court of the filing, in writing,
whereupon the trial court shall not be required to take any further action.
It is so ordered.
Per Curiam
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