From Casetext: Smarter Legal Research

Rhodes v. McDonald, C.J

Supreme Court of Texas. October, 1943
Jul 14, 1943
141 Tex. 478 (Tex. 1943)

Opinion

Motion No. 16,142.

Decided July 14, 1943. Rehearing overruled October 20, 1943.

1. — Jurisdiction — Evidence.

The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction to determine the question of whether the evidence is sufficient to support the judgment of the trial court.

2. — Mandamus — Certified Question — Appeal and Error.

In the absence of a showing that the majority opinion of the Court of Civil Appeals is incorrect, the Supreme Court will not permit the filing of a motion for leave to file a petition for writ of mandamus to compel that court to certify a county court case to the Supreme Court because of the dissent of one of its justices.

Original motion filed in the Supreme Court asking leave to file a petition for mandamus to compel the Court of Civil Appeals at Fort Worth to certify to the Supreme Court, under Rule 463, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, questions of law involved in a county court case when a dissenting opinion is rendered by one of the justices of the Court of Civil Appeals. This case in which the question arose is Rhodes v. Turner, now pending in that court.

The motion is overruled

McGown, McGown, Godfrey Logan and John M. Scott, all of Fort Worth, for petitioner.

W.L. Coley, of Fort Worth, for appellee, J.L. Turner.


The relator has filed in this Court a motion for leave to file an original petition for writ of mandamus to compel the Court of Civil Appeals at Fort Worth to certify to the Supreme Court the points of dissent, as provided in Rule 463, Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, in the case of Rhodes v. Turner now pending in that court. The majority of the Court of Civil Appeals affirmed a judgment of a county court at law for less than two hundred dollars. Chief Justice McDonald dissented. The petition for mandamus is based solely on the ground that there was a dissent by one of the justices of the Court of Civil Appeals.

1, 2 From the facts stated in the majority and dissenting opinions we are of the opinion that the case turns upon the sufficiency of the evidence to support the judgment, a matter over which this Court has no jurisdiction. It follows that this case presents no question of law to be certified under the provisions of said Rule 463. Furthermore, there is nothing in the petition for writ of mandamus, or in such of the record as has been brought up in connection therewith, that leads us to believe that the majority opinion is incorrect. This Court will not do the useless thing of requiring the Court of Civil Appeals to certify a case to this Court unless it reasonably appears from the record that if the motion for leave to file should be granted we would hold, upon a consideration of the motion on its merits, that the Court of Civil Appeals entered an incorrect judgment in the cause.. Aetna Life Ins. Co. v. Gallagher, 127 Tex. 553, 94 S.W.2d 410, par. 2. Consequently the petition in this case lacks merit.

The motion for leave to file the petition for writ of mandamus is overruled.

Opinion delivered July 14, 1943.

Rehearing overruled October 20, 1943.


Summaries of

Rhodes v. McDonald, C.J

Supreme Court of Texas. October, 1943
Jul 14, 1943
141 Tex. 478 (Tex. 1943)
Case details for

Rhodes v. McDonald, C.J

Case Details

Full title:T.C. RHODES v. HONORABLE ATWOOD McDONALD, CHIEF JUSTICE ET AL

Court:Supreme Court of Texas. October, 1943

Date published: Jul 14, 1943

Citations

141 Tex. 478 (Tex. 1943)
172 S.W.2d 972

Citing Cases

Trammell v. Whitlock

The rule is said to be based on the just and common sense view that the party in possession or control of an…

Simpson v. McDonald

Since the adoption of the above amendment this Court has exercised jurisdiction in answering questions…