Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
John Watts, Appellant v. the State of Texas
March 12, 20032003 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 58
Summary
The Court of Criminal Appeals reversed the conviction, holding that the trial judge erred by taking judicial notice of a prior appellate decision and commenting on the weight of the evidence to the jury, and remanded for a harm analysis. The concurrence agreed with the result but criticized the majority's discussion of judicial notice and unnecessary dicta.