The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued seven opinions from Feb. 6-12. The Texas Supreme Court issued two opinions from Feb. 6-12. Both courts are the state’s courts of last resort. As of Feb. 12, the court of criminal appeals issued 48 opinions in 2023—17 more than this point a year ago. The supreme court issued eight opinions as of Feb. 12, 2023—five fewer than this point a year ago. The nine opinions are below:
- Christ v. Tex. Dep’t of Transportation (Opinion)
- Patel v. Nations Renovations, LLC (Per Curiam)
- IN RE STATE OF TEXAS EX REL RANDALL SIMS Appeal from 320th District Court of Potter County (dissenting by judge newell)
- IN RE STATE OF TEXAS EX REL RANDALL SIMS Appeal from 320th District Court of Potter County (dissenting by judge yeary)
- IN RE STATE OF TEXAS EX REL RANDALL SIMS Appeal from 320th District Court of Potter County (original per curiam)
- BROOKS, DARREN Appeal from 292nd District Court of Dallas County (original per curiam)
- In re K. Sunshine Stank, Lubbock County Dist. Atty. (original by judge newell)
- In re City of Lubbock (original by judge newell)
- IN RE CITY OF LUBBOCK Appeal from 140th District Court of Lubbock County (concurring by presiding judge keller)
From Feb. 6-12, state supreme courts issued 195 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 55. State supreme courts in 23 states issued none. Courts where judges are elected have issued 140 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 55.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court are the state’s courts of last resort. The former is the state’s court of last resort for criminal matters, while the latter is the state’s court of last resort for civil matters; both have nine judgeships. Sharon Keller and Nathan Hecht are the current chiefs of the criminal and supreme courts, respectively. Combined, the courts issued 413 opinions in 2022 and 536 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 833 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 518 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 315. Texas is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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