Summary
In Selvage, we asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to decide whether Texas requires a contemporaneous objection when a defendant argues that the jury, prior to Penry, was unable to give effect to mitigating evidence under the Texas special issues.
Summary of this case from Buxton v. CollinsOpinion
No. 88-2278.
March 6, 1990.
Robert S. Walt, Asst. Atty. Gen., Jim Mattox, Atty. Gen., Austin, Tex., for respondent-appellant.
David Cunningham, Houston, Tex., George H. Kendall, New York City, for petitioner-appellee.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas; Norman W. Black, Judge.
Before POLITZ, WILLIAMS, and HIGGINBOTHAM Circuit Judges.
CERTIFICATION FROM THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT TO THE COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS OF TEXAS PURSUANT TO RULE 214 TEXAS RULES OF APPELLATE PROCEDURE
TO THE TEXAS COURT OF CRIMINAL APPEALS AND THE HONORABLE JUSTICES THEREOF:
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on remand from the United States Supreme Court has decided that this case presents a question of law that may be determinative of this case, for which there is no controlling precedent in the decisions of the Court of Criminal Appeals. The question is whether petitioner Selvage's claim under Penry v. Lynaugh, 492 U.S. ___, 109 S.Ct. 2934, 106 L.Ed.2d 256 (1989), is presently procedurally barred under Texas law. We certify this question pursuant to Rule 214, Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure. The question was framed by the United States Supreme Court in its per curiam opinion filed February 21, 1990, ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 974, 108 L.Ed.2d 93.
The procedural history of this case is set out in Selvage v. State, 680 S.W.2d 17 (Tex.Crim.App. 1984); Selvage v. Lynaugh, 823 F.2d 845 (5th Cir. 1987), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 933, 108 S.Ct. 309, 98 L.Ed.2d 268 (1987); Selvage v. Lynaugh, 842 F.2d 89 (5th Cir. 1988), stay granted pending cert., 485 U.S. 983, 108 S.Ct. 1283, 99 L.Ed.2d 494 (1988), cert. granted in part, (Oct. 10, 1989), ___ U.S. ___, 110 S.Ct. 231, 107 L.Ed.2d 182 (1989).
The names and addresses of counsel for each party are set out in the appendix.