Allen v. State
Allen v. State
Opinion of the Court
The assistant attorney general moves the court to dismiss the appeal in this case for the want of a proper recognizance.
There can be no doubt that the proper appellation for this court, and the one by which it was intended to be known and designated by the Constitution to which it owes its origin, and from which it derives its power and authority, is that of “the court of appeals.” See Art. 5 of Const., secs. 1, 5, 6, 8, 12, 16, and 28; Art. 15, secs. 2 and 8. It will be seen, however, that in sec. 11, of Art. 5, of the Constitution this court is spoken of as “ the appellate court.” It will also be seen in the act organizing this court (Acts of Fifteenth Legislature, p. 3, sec. 1) that, in providing for a clerk of the court, the language used is, “ and shall perform as clerk of the appellate court,” etc.
Here we have, then, the authority of the Constitution which created, and of the law which organized, the court, for the use of the appellation “ appellate court” as synonymous with “ court of appeals.” As a matter of preference, merely, we think the latter the most appropriate title or name, it having the denomination which evidently appears to have been originally intended; but, as matter of law, we can see no real difference, since both are used, as we have seen, indiscriminately, and appear to mean and express the same thing. Besides, in this case there can be no doubt as to the court to which defendant appeals, for, in the order of the court overruling his motion for a new trial, we find it stated that “the defendant, by counsel, excepts and gives notice of appeal to the court of appeals of the state of Texas.”
■ The court charged the jury that if they found defendant guilty they would “ assess his punishment at confinement in the county jail for a term not to exceed two years, and by fine not to exceed one hundred dollars, or by imprisonment without fine.”
“ The Code requires that the law applicable to the case shall be given in charge to the jury.” The case of Buford v. The State, 44 Texas, 525, is a case in point.
The judgment of the lower court is reversed and the cause remanded.
Reversed and remanded.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.