Case Law

Case law is the byproduct of written decisions of appellate courts. Case law is the basis for precedent, the idea that previously decided cases are seen as examples, or guiding authorities, for judges’ decisions in later cases with similar questions of law. Stare decisis, a Latin phrase meaning “to stand on what has been decided,” is the principle that the decision of a court is a binding authority on the court that issued the decision and on lower courts in the same jurisdiction for the disposition of factually similar cases.

An appellate court’s interpretation of a statute may also become a precedent that lower courts must follow in issuing their decisions. Under the doctrine of precedent, it is the statute as interpreted by the court that is applied in future cases. If a legislature disagrees with the way a court has interpreted a statute, it may revise the statute or, if necessary, initiate a constitutional amendment.

Precedent is believed to promote fairness in the judicial process because it encourages similar cases to be treated alike and leads to predictability and stability in the legal system. It also saves time and energy because it enables courts to use previous research and wisdom. The written opinions of courts are considered primary sources of authority and are usually the main object of legal research.

Intermediate appellate courts (courts of appeal) have authority over trial courts in a specified geographical area or jurisdiction. Appellate courts generally do not review factual determinations made by lower courts, but do review claimed errors of law that are reflected in the record. Appellate courts accept written briefs (statements made by counsel arguing the case) and frequently hear oral arguments. In Texas, the intermediate courts of appeal may hear cases en banc (the entire court) or in a panel of judges. In Texas, the courts of appeals hear cases originating in county and district court. The exception to this rule is appeals from municipal and justice courts which are first reviewed by county-level courts.

The court of last resort, often called the supreme court, is the highest appellate court in a jurisdiction. Texas is unique in that it has two courts of last resort: the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which hears criminal appeals on questions of state law; and the Texas Supreme Court, which hears appeals of civil matters involving state law. The U.S. Supreme Court is the court of last resort for cases involving federal law. There are certain matters over which a state or federal court has exclusive jurisdiction and certain matters over which a state court has concurrent jurisdiction with federal courts.

Taken from The Municipal Judges Book, © 2012 Texas Municipal Court Education Center, Austin

BENCH BOOK CASES

Magistrate Duties	Summary	Full Case
Bills v. State, 796 S.W.2d 194 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990)
Cnty. of Riverside v. McLaughlin, 500 U.S. 44 (1991)
Ex parte Anderer, 61 S.W.3d 398 (Tex. Crim. App. 2001)
Ex parte Clear, 573 S.W.2d 224 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)
Ex parte Deaton, 582 S.W.2d 151 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979)
Ex parte King, 613 S.W. 2d 503 (Tex. Crim. App. 1981)
Ex parte Rodriguez, 583 S.W.2d 792 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979)
Gerstein v. Pugh, 420 U.S. 103 (1975)
Gilbert v. State 493 S.W.2d 783 (Tex. Crim. App. 1973)
Guerra v. Garza, 987 S.W.2d 593 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999)
Guzman v. State, 955 S.W.2d 85 (Tex. Crim. App. 1997)
Jones v. State, 803 S.W.2d 712 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991)
Meador v. State, 780 S.W.2d 836 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1989, no pet.)
Phillips v. State, 77 S.W.3d 465 (Tex. App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2002, no pet.)
Rothgery v. Gillespie Cnty., 554 U.S. 191 (2008)
Upjohn Co. v. Freeman, 847 S.W.2d 589 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1992, no writ)	https://www.tmcec.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Upjohn-Co_v_Freeman.pdf
Watson v. State, 762 S.W.2d 591 (Tex. Crim. App. 1988)
White v. State, 930 S.W.2d 673 (Tex. App.—Waco 1996, no pet.)

Warrants & Writs	Summary	Full Case
Adkins v. State, 717 S.W.2d 363 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986)
Camara v. S.F. Mun. Court, 387 U.S. 523 (1967)
Ex parte Clear, 573 S.W.2d 224 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)
Ex parte Hannington, 832 S.W.2d 355 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992)
Ex parte Minjares, 582 S.W.2d 105 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)
Gilbert v. State, 493 S.W.2d 783 (Tex. Crim. App. 1973)
Illinois v. Gates, 462 U.S. 213 (1983)
Lagrone v. State, 742 S.W.2d 659 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987)
Schmidt v. State, 659 S.W.2d 420 (Tex. Crim. App. 1983)
Sharp v. State, 677 S.W.2d 513 (Tex. Crim. App. 1984)
State v. Martin, 833 S.W.2d 129 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992)
Tate v. Short, 401 U.S. 395 (1971)
Wetherby v. State, 482 S.W.2d 852 (Tex. Crim. App. 1972)

Defendants	Summary	Full Case
Ex parte Super, 175 S.W. 697 (Tex. Crim. App. 1915)
Illinois v. Allen, 397 U.S. 337 (1970)
United States v. Wilhelm, 570 F.2d 461 (3d Cir. 1978)
Williams v. State, 549 S.W.2d 183 (Tex. Crim. App. 1977)

Appearance & Dismissal	Summary	Full Case
Warr v. State, 591 S.W.2d 832 (Tex. Crim. App. 1979)

Pleas	Summary	Full Case
Empy v. State, 571 S.W.2d 526 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)
State v. Jiminez, 987 S.W.2d 886 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999)
Tatum v. State, 861 S.W.2d 27 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.]        1993, pet. ref’d)

Pretrial Proceedings	Summary	Full Case
Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963)
Brendlin v. California, 551 U.S. 249 (2007)
Drope v. Missouri, 420 U.S. 162 (1975)
Ex parte Ellis, 275 S.W.3d 109 (Tex. App.—Austin 2008, no pet.)
Gaal v. State, 332 S.W.3d 448 (Tex. Crim. App. 2011)
James v. State, 563 S.W.2d 599 (Tex. Crim. App. 1978)
Katz v. United States, 389 U.S. 347 (1967)
Kindley v. State, 879 S.W.2d 261 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1994, no pet.)
McDaniel v. State, 98 S.W.3d 704 (Tex. Crim. App. 2003)
Meshell v. State, 739 S.W.2d 246 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987)
Mich. Dep’t of State Police v. Sitz, 496 U.S. 444 (1990)
Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966)
Quinones v. State, 592 S.W.2d 933 (Tex. Crim. App. 1980)
Rakas v. Illinois, 439 U.S. 128 (1978)
Sanchez v. State, 138 S.W.3d 324 (Tex. Crim. App. 2004)
State v. Johnson, 821 S.W.2d 609 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991)
Taylor v. State, 612 S.W.2d 566 (Tex. Crim. App. 1981)
Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1 (1968)
Wong Sun v. United States, 371 U.S. 471 (1963)

Trial Proceedings	Summary	Full Case
Allen v. United States, 164 U.S. 492 (1896)
Batson v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 79 (1986)
Brown v. State, 870 S.W.2d 53 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994)
Butler v. State, 830 S.W.2d 125 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992)
State ex rel Curry v. Bowman, 885 S.W.2d 421 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993)
Geesa v. State, 820 S.W.2d 154 (Tex. Crim. App. 1991)
Georgia v. McCollum, 505 U.S. 42 (1993)
Hill v. State, 827 S.W.2d 860 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990)
J.E.B. v. Alabama ex rel T.B., 511 U.S. 127 (1994)
Lewis v. State, 779 S.W.2d 449 (Tex. App.—Tyler 1989, pet. ref’d)
Linscomb v. State, 829 S.W.2d 164 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992)
Moore v. State, 874 S.W.2d 671 (Tex. Crim. App. 1994)
Paulson v. State, 28 S.W.3d 570 (Tex. Crim. App. 2000)
Prosper v. State, 788 S.W.2d 625 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1990, pet. ref’d)
Salazar v. State, 795 S.W.2d 187 (Tex. Crim. App. 1990)
Tompkins v. State, 774 S.W.2d 195 (Tex. Crim. App. 1987)
Vosberg v. State, 80 S.W.3d 320 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2002, pet. ref’d)
Williams v. State, 719 S.W.2d 573 (Tex. Crim. App. 1986)
Williams v. State, 767 S.W.2d 872 (Tex. App.—Dallas 1989, pet. ref’d)

Sentencing	Summary	Full Case
Ex parte Hannington, 832 S.W.2d 355 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992)
Tate v. Short, 401 U.S. 395 (1971)

Bonds	Summary	Full Case
Alvarez v. State, 861 S.W.2d 878 (Tex. Crim. App. 1992)
Browne v. State, 268 S.W.2d 131 (Tex. Crim. App. 1954)
Burns v. State, 814 S.W.2d 768 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist] 1991), rev’d on other grounds, 861 S.W.2d 878 (Tex Crim. App. 1992)
Dees v. State, 865 S.W.2d 461 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993)
James v. State, 413 S.W.2d 111 (Tex. Crim. App. 1967)
Villarreal v. State, 826 S.W.2d 621 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 1992, pet. ref’d)

Ordinances	Summary	Full Case
Aguirre v. State, 22 S.W.3d 463 (Tex. Crim. App. 1999)
State v. Morales, 869 S.W.2d 941 (Tex. 1994)
Treadgill v. State, 275 S.W.2d 658 (Tex. Crim. App. 1955)

Oaths	Summary	Full Case
Naff v. State, 946 S.W.2d 529 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 1997, no pet.)

Juvenile Proceedings	Summary	Full Case
Ex parte Powell, 883 S.W.2d 775 (Tex. App.—Beaumont 1994, no pet.)
In re H.V., 179 S.W.3d 746 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2005), aff’d in part and rev’d in part, 252 S.W.3d 319 (Tex. 2008)

Contempt	Summary	Full Case
Ex parte Aldridge, 334 S.W.2d 161 (Tex. Crim. App. 1959)
Ex parte Avila, 659 S.W.2d 443 (Tex. Crim. App. 1983)
Ex parte Barnett, 600 S.W.2d 252 (Tex. 1980)
Ex parte Chambers, 898 S.W.2d 257 (Tex. 1995)
Ex parte Cooper, 657 S.W.2d 435 (Tex. Crim. App. 1983)
Ex parte Crenshaw, 259 S.W. 587 (Tex. Crim. App. 1924)