in Re Samuel Roy Jackson
in Re Samuel Roy Jackson
Opinion of the Court
OPINION
On November 13, 2012, relator filed a petition for writ of mandamus in this Court. See Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 22.221; see also Tex.RApp. P. 52. In the petition, relator asks this Court to compel the Honorable Vanessa Velasquez, presiding judge of the 183rd District Court of Harris County to conduct a hearing on his applications for writ of habeas corpus filed March 11, 2004 and June 28, 2004, his motion to set aside indictment filed January 12, 2004, motion for written ruling filed January 8, 2004, and a motion for discovery and inspection of evidence. These motions were filed before relator was convicted on October 28, 2004. That conviction was affirmed on appeal. Jackson v. State, No. 01-04-01137-CR, 2005 WL 3072018 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] Nov. 17, 2005, pet. withdrawn) (not designated for publication).
To be entitled to mandamus relief in a criminal case, a relator must show that he has no adequate remedy at law to redress his alleged harm, and that what he seeks to compel is a ministerial act, not involving
FROST, J. dissenting.
Dissenting Opinion
dissenting.
Relator Samuel Roy Jackson has filed a petition for writ of mandamus in which he asks this court to order the Honorable Vanessa Velasquez, presiding judge of the 183rd District Court of Harris County, to conduct a hearing on various pre-trial motions relator filed before his October 2004 trial. These pre-trial motions are two applications for a pre-trial writ of habeas corpus, a motion to set aside the indictment, a motion for a written ruling, and a motion for discovery. On October 28, 2004, relator was convicted of aggravated robbery. That conviction was affirmed on appeal in 2005, and has been final for over seven years. Thus, the trial court in which relator was convicted has lost plenary jurisdiction over the ease. See State v. Holloway, 360 S.W.3d 480, 484-86 (Tex.Crim.App. 2012). Nonetheless, the trial court may re-acquire “limited” jurisdiction to ensure that a higher court’s mandate is carried out or to perform specific functions as authorized by statute, for example functions prescribed by the statute governing post-conviction habeas corpus relief or by the statute providing for forensic DNA testing.
Relator’s pre-trial motions do not relate to enforcement of a higher court’s mandate. These motions do not relate to the trial court’s functions in an application for post-conviction habeas corpus relief, a motion for forensic DNA testing, or to any other statute prescribing a post-conviction function for the convicting court. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. arts. 11.07, 64.01. The respondent does not have jurisdiction to hear or rule on relator’s pretrial motions. See Holloway, 360 S.W.3d at 484-90.
It is axiomatic that an appeal or original proceeding is moot when the appellate court’s ruling cannot have any practical legal effect upon a controversy. See Armendarez v. State, 798 S.W.2d 291, 291 (Tex.Crim.App. 1990); Ex parte Clay, 479 S.W.2d 677, 677 (Tex.Crim.App. 1972); In re HEB Grocery Co., L.P., No. 14-10-00270-CV, 2010 WL 1790881, at *1 (Tex. App.-Houston [14th Dist.] May 6, 2010, orig. proceeding [mand. denied]) (mem. op., per curiam); In re Guerra, No. 13-08-00745-CV, 2009 WL 91743, at *1 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi Jan.15, 2009, orig. proceeding); State v. Garza, 774 S.W.2d 724, 727-28 (Tex.App.-Corpus Christi 1989, pet. refd); Houston Indep. School Dist. v. Houston Teachers Assoc., 617 S.W.2d 765, 766-67 (Tex.Civ.App.-Houston [14th Dist.] 1981, no writ). If this court were to order respondent to conduct a hearing on relator’s 2004 pretrial motions, this order
The majority denies relator’s requested relief on the merits rather than dismissing this proceeding as moot. In doing so, the majority relies upon an opinion that was not designated for publication and therefore has no precedential value. See Tex. R.App. P. 47.7(a). The majority does not explain why relator’s request is not moot. Nor does the majority cite any cases having any precedential value that would support the proposition that relator’s request is not moot. The majority’s analysis is contrary to well-established law, under which a case is moot if the appellate court’s ruling cannot have any practical legal effect upon a controversy. See Armendarez, 798 S.W.2d at 291; Ex parte Clay, 479 S.W.2d at 677; In re HEB Grocery Co., L.P., 2010 WL 1790881, at *1; In re Guerra, 2009 WL 91743, at *1; Garza, 774 S.W.2d at 727-28; Houston Teachers Assoc., 617 S.W.2d at 766-67. Relator’s petition should be dismissed as moot.
Because this court denies the petition on the merits rather than dismissing it as moot, I respectfully dissent.
. One of the functions relating to an application for post-conviction habeas corpus relief or a motion for forensic DNA testing may be allowing a convicted person access to the record of the trial that might be used in the preparation of such an application or motion. See Padieu v. Court of Appeals of Texas, Fifth Dist., 392 S.W.3d 115, 117 (Tex.Crim.App. 2013).
. Despite the potential for limited post-conviction jurisdiction in the convicting court, the exclusive remedy from final felony convictions is a writ of habeas corpus. See Tex. Code Crim. Proc. Ann. art. 11.07; Holloway, 360 S.W.3d at 488-89. Only the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals has jurisdiction to grant post-conviction habeas corpus relief in felony cases. See Holloway, 360 S.W.3d at 488-89.
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