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Raney v State

982 S.W.2d 429
December 16, 1998
No. 244-98
Majority opinion by Judge Mansfield
Link to dissenting opinion by Judge Womack


IN THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS

OF TEXAS

NO. 244-98

STEVEN HOWARD RANEY, Appellant

v.

THE STATE OF TEXAS

ON THE STATE’S AND THE STATE PROSECUTING

ATTORNEY’S PETITIONS FOR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW

FROM THE TENTH COURT OF APPEALS

ELLIS COUNTY

MANSFIELD, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BAIRD, OVERSTREET, MEYERS, and PRICE, JJ., joined. WOMACK, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which McCORMICK, P.J., and KELLER and HOLLAND, JJ., joined.

O P I N I O N

Appellant, Steven Howard Raney, pled guilty before a jury to the felony charge of tampering with physical evidence. See Tex. Penal Code § 37.09(a)(1). The jury subsequently assessed his punishment at imprisonment for ten years and a fine of $5,000. On appeal, appellant argued that he had been denied, among other things, his state and federal constitutional rights to the reasonably effective assistance of counsel. See U.S. Const. amends. VI & XIV; Tex. Const. art. I, § 10. The Tenth Court of Appeals agreed with appellant’s constitutional arguments, reversed the trial court’s judgment as to punishment, and remanded the case to that court for a new punishment hearing. Raney v. State, 958 S.W.2d 867, 879-880 (Tex.App.--Waco 1997). We granted the State’s and State Prosecuting Attorney’s petitions for discretionary review to determine whether the Court of Appeals had erred. See Tex. R. App. Proc. 66.3(b) & (c).

After reviewing the briefs of all parties and the relevant portions of the record, and after hearing oral argument, we conclude that our decision to grant the State’s and State Prosecuting Attorney’s petitions was improvident. Accordingly, we dismiss those petitions. See Tex. R. App. Proc. 69.3. As in all cases in which we dismiss a petition for discretionary review as improvidently granted, the dismissals here must not be construed as approval of the reasoning or holding of the Court of Appeals. See Warner v. State, 969 S.W.2d 1, 2 (Tex.Crim.App. 1998).

Mansfield, J.

DELIVERED DECEMBER 16, 1998

PUBLISH


This information is made available as a free public service for your personal, non-commercial use. While every effort has been made to provide accurate material at this site, it is provided "as is" and no representations are made that it is free of mistakes or inaccuracies. This file was derived from the text posted on the web site of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, by the automatic operation of conversion software, and may contain errors.

Baker's Legal Pages are a public service of Freelance Enterprises, Inc.
Casenotes Listing Table of Recent Opinions
Send your comments or suggestions to lbaker@igg-tx.net
© 1999 Lang Baker