Highlights 77th Texas Legislature - Senate

_________________________
JURISPRUDENCE
77 th Texas Legislature
• ensure that each indigent defendant charged with a misdemeanor punishable by confinement or a
felony and who appears in court without counsel has an opportunity to confer with appointed
counsel before the commencement of judicial proceedings;
• require appointments for defendants in capital cases in which the death penalty is sought to comply
with the certain requirements;
• ensure that each attorney appointed from a public appointment list perform the attorney's duty in
accordance with the adopted procedures, the requirements of the Code of Criminal Procedures,
and applicable rules of ethics;
• ensure that appointments are allocated among qualified attorneys in a fair, neutral, and
nondiscriminatory manner; and
• include procedures and financial standards for determining whether a defendant is indigent,
regardless of whether the defendant is in custody or has been released on bail.
Provides that an alternative program for appointing counsel in misdemeanor cases may be established by
county court and statutory county court judges if two-thirds of the judges vote to establish the alternative
program. There is a similar provision for establishing such a program for appointing counsel in felony
cases by district court judges. Sets out what methods an alternative program may use for appointing
counsel.
Provides that an alternative program must require that:
• attorneys appointed under the program meet specified objective qualifications and are approved by
a majority of the judges establishing the program;
• appointments for defendants in capital cases comply with state law; and
• appointments are reasonably and impartially allocated among qualified attorneys.
Bars judges, in establishing an alternative program, from obligating the county by contract or the creation of
new positions to increase the expenditure of county funds without the approval of the commissioners court.
Requires an attorney appointed under this act to make every reasonable effort to contact the defendant not
later than the end of the first working day after the date on which the attorney is appointed and interview the
defendant as soon as practicable after the attorney is appointed. A court may replace an attorney who
violates this provision with other counsel and a majority of the judges of appropriate courts may remove an
attorney who intentionally or repeatedly violates this provision from consideration for appointment
Prohibits a court or the court’s designee from considering whether the defendant has posted or is capable
of posting bail in determining whether the defendant is indigent, except to the extent that it reflects the
defendant's financial circumstances. A defendant determined to be indigent is presumed to remain indigent
throughout the proceedings, unless a material change occurs in the defendant's financial circumstances.
Prohibits a court from threatening to arrest or incarcerate a person solely because the person requests the
assistance of counsel.
Senate Research Center 186