Metts v. State
Metts v. State
Opinion of the Court
OPINION ON REMAND
After the trial court found that Appellant had violated the terms and conditions of his deferred adjudication community supervision, it revoked his community supervision in both cases, adjudicated his guilt for two counts oi: sexual assault of a child, assessed his punishment at confinement for ten years in each case, and sentenced him. On appeal, Appellant argued that Judge Robin Malone Darr was disqualified from serving as the presiding judge in these cases and that she had violated his due process rights when she revoked his community supervision. On original submission, this court affirmed the judgments of the trial court.
Appellant filed a petition for discretionary review, and the Court of Criminal Appeals granted review of his disqualification issue. The Court of Criminal Appeals held that Judge Darr was disqualified. Metts v. State, 510 S.W.3d 1, 9 (Tex. Crim. App. 2016). As a result, the Court of Criminal Appeals remanded both cases to this court to determine how Appellant’s “right to have a non-disqualified judge should be classified.” Id. After additional briefing by the parties, we hold that the “right to have a non-disqualified judge” is a category two right under Marin v. State.
I. Procedural History
In both cases, Appellant pleaded guilty in 2004 to the second-degree felony offense
II. Analysis
After the Court of Criminal Appeals held that Judge Darr had actively participated as an attorney for the State in Appellant’s cases and was therefore disqualified, it remanded these cases to this court for this court to determine “under which Marin category the right to a non-disqualified judge should be classified.” Metts, 510 S.W.3d at 9; see Marin, 851 S.W.2d at 280. Appellant asserts that the right is a category two right, while the State argues that the right is a category three right. As we explain below, we agree with Appellant that the “right to a non-disqualified judge” is a category two right under Marin.
The Court of Criminal Appeals in Marin separated defendants’ rights into three categories:
• The first category of rights are those that are “widely considered so fundamental to the proper functioning of our adjudicatory process ... that they cannot be forfeited ... by inaction alone.” These are considered “absolute rights.”
• The second category of rights is comprised of rights that are “not forfei-table”—they cannot be surrendered by mere inaction, but are “waivable” if the waiver is affirmatively, plainly, freely, and intelligently made. The trial judge has an independent duty to implement these rights absent any request unless there is an effective express waiver.
• Finally, the third category of rights are “forfeitable” and must be requested by the litigant. Many rights of the criminal defendant, including some constitutional rights, are in this category and can be forfeited by inaction.
Grado v. State, 445 S.W.3d 736, 739 (Tex. Crim. App. 2014) (alteration in original) (footnotes omitted) (quoting Marin, 851 S.W.2d at 278-79). “Rule 33.1’s preservation requirements do not apply to rights falling within the first two categories.” Id. “Barring these two narrow exceptions, all errors—even constitutional errors—may be forfeited on appeal if an appellant failed to object at trial.” Id. In Grado, the Court of Criminal Appeals reviewed the defendant’s claim that his right to have a judge consider the full range of punishment was a right that was not subject to procedural default. Grado, 445 S.W.3d at 741. The
The rationale in Grado applies in this case in part because the constitutional and statutory grounds for disqualification of a judge are mandatory and exclusive. See Tex. Const. art. V, § 11; Tex. Code Crim. Proo. Ann. art. 30.01 (West 2006); Gamez v. State, 737 S.W.2d 315, 318 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987). A judge is disqualified by statute from presiding over any case “where [she] has been of counsel for the State.” Crim. Proo. art. 30.01. Similarly, a judge is disqualified under the Texas Constitution if she has “been counsel in the case.” Tex. Const, art. V, § 11. This ensures “that criminal justice [is] administered free from bias or the appearance of bias.” Whitehead v. State, 273 S.W.3d 285, 288 (Tex. Crim. App. 2008). Under Article 30.01 and the relevant constitutional provisions, a judge is disqualified if she “actively participated in the preparation of the case against the defendant.” Gamez, 737 S.W.2d at 319.
The question of whether a trial judge is qualified and can preside over a case is one of authority and not jurisdiction. Davis v. State, 956 S.W.2d 555, 559 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997). Section 24.002 provides the following:
If a district judge determines on the judge’s own motion that the judge should not sit in a case pending in the judge’s court because the judge is disqualified ..., the judge shall enter a recusal order [and] request the presiding judge of that administrative judicial region to assign another judge to sit....”
Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 24.002 (West Supp. 2016). Just as a trial court has an independent duty to determine the correct statute for sentencing and to consider the full range of punishment, a trial judge has an independent duty, absent a defendant’s effective waiver, to determine that she is not disqualified from hearing the ease. We note that several pre-Marin cases held that a defendant’s complaint about the judge’s disqualification could be raised for the first time on appeal. See Gamez, 737 S.W.2d at 318; Ex parte Miller, 696 S.W.2d 908, 910 (Tex. Crim. App. 1985), overruled in part by Ex parte Richardson, 201 S.W.3d 712, 714 (Tex. Crim. App. 2006); Lee v. State, 555 S.W.2d 121, 122 (Tex. Crim. App. 1977); Holifield v. State, 538 S.W.2d 123, 125 (Tex. Crim. App. 1976). In Johnson v. State, the Court of Criminal Appeals held that, where a judge of a constitutional county court of Taylor County lacked the authority to preside over a criminal trial, under Section 26.231 of the Texas Government Code, the defendant did not waive that complaint when he failed to raise the issue at trial. 869 S.W.2d 347, 349 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994). The rationales outlined in Grado and Johnson are equally applicable in this case.
The State argues that Appellant received the benefit of Judge Darr*s favorable rulings in modifying his community supervision, on multiple occasions, and is estopped or has effectively waived any objection to her serving as the presiding judge in his revocation and adjudication hearing. The State cites to Ex parte Richardson in support of its estoppel or effective waiver argument. 201 S.W.3d at 713. In Richardson, the defendant was aware that the trial judge was the prosecutor in
III. This Court’s Ruling
We reverse the judgments of the trial court, and we remand the causes to the trial court for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.
. Metts v. State, Nos. 11-13-00203-CR & 11-13-00204-CR, 2015 WL 4433603, at *3 (Tex. App.—Eastland 2015), vacated, 510 S.W.3d 1 (Tex. Crim. App. 2016).
. Marin v. State, 851 S.W.2d 275, 280 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993), overruled in part by Cain v. State, 947 S.W.2d 262 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997).
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.