|
US Vote SmartHome » 2018-03-06 Republican primary » Texas » Court of Criminal Appeals Justice - Place 8 |
| Court of Criminal Appeals Justice - Place 8 | |
|---|---|
 Texas |
Court of Criminal Appeals Justice - Place 8
office
The Court of Criminal Appeals is Texas' highest court for criminal cases. The Court consists of a Presiding Judge and eight Judges. It's co-equal in civil areas is the Texas Supreme Court. Only are there CCA's in Texas and Oklahoma - the rest of the US are Supreme Courts, which hear both Crinimal and Civil cases.
This 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
- 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.
- Because of the inaction of the CCA, it may have resulted in Adrian Heath, a grassroots activist convicted of Voter Fraud for exposing the Rent-A-Voters scheme, being sent to prison, a violation of the Texas and US Constitution 4th amendment right to "Due Process".
