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Court of Criminal Appeals Justice - Place 1

Texas

Court of Criminal Appeals Justice - Place 1

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The Court of Criminal Appeals is Texas' highest court for criminal cases. The Court consists of a Presiding Judge and eight Judges.

The court hears appeals on criminal cases excluding those involving juvenile proceedings. Cases in which the death penalty was imposed are directly and automatically appealed to this court, bypassing the intermediate Courts of Appeals, which hear both civil and criminal cases.

They are elected by the voters of the entire state, and they hold their offices for terms of six years.

 

Major Issues

  1. There's a major problem with the court's habeas corpus procedures.  In an opinion rendered Nov. 23rd, 2016, retiring Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (CCA) Judge Elsa Alcala criticized the court's internal policies to reveal how most habeas writs are decided by a single judge(instead of two), in her opinion in contradiction to requirements in Texas' Constitution and statutes.

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