NUMBER 13-13-00419-CR
COURT OF APPEALS
THIRTEENTH DISTRICT OF TEXAS
CORPUS CHRISTI - EDINBURG
THE STATE OF TEXAS, Appellant,
v.
SHARON HINOJOSA, Appellee.
On appeal from the County Court at Law No. 4
of Nueces County, Texas.
MEMORANDUM OPINION
Before Justices Garza, Benavides, and Perkes
Concurring Memorandum Opinion by Justice Perkes
I agree with the majority’s conclusion because the State does not raise any
constitutional issues on appeal. I concur in the result only.
The trial court granted Hinojosa’s motion for new trial based on alleged Fourth
Amendment violations. In its brief, however, the State solely brings a sufficiency
argument while wholly failing to address the merits of the constitutional issue.
The Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure require the parties to advance their own
arguments. TEX. R. APP. P. 38.1(h), 38.2(a)(1); see State v. Gonzalez, 855 S.W.2d 692,
697 (Tex. Crim. App. 1993) (en banc). Decisional authority prevents us from advancing
arguments on behalf of either party. Anson v. State, 959 S.W.2d 203, 211 n. 2 (Tex.
Crim. App. 1997) (Baird and Overstreet, JJ., dissenting) (explaining that appellate judges
who resolve issues not raised by the parties are partisan advocates, not impartial jurists).
The State's failure to brief the constitutional issue constitutes waiver. In order for
us to reverse the trial court’s decision, we would necessarily have to research and present
a constitutional argument contrary to the trial court’s ruling, thereby putting us in the
impermissible position of an advocate. See Siverand v. State, 89 S.W.3d 216, 219 (Tex.
App.—Corpus Christi 2002, no pet.). This, we cannot do.
For that reason, I would affirm the order of the trial court.
GREGORY T. PERKES
Justice
Do not publish.
TEX. R. APP. P. 47.2(b).
Delivered and filed the
30th day of April, 2015.
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