Opinion

Williams v. State

  • 161 Tex. Crim. 500
  • 279 S.W.2d 348
  • 1955 Tex. Crim. App. LEXIS 1469
Court
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas
Filed
Mar 30, 1955
Status
Published
Author
Dice
On the bench
Woodley, Morrison, Dice, Davidson
Cited by
9 cases
Authority
More cited than 8.2%

The opinion

ON MOTION FOR REHEARING

DICE, Judge.

Appellant, in his motion for rehearing, insists that reversible error is shown by Bill of Exception No. 3, which bill we did not discuss in our original opinion. The bill certifies that appellant called his wife as a witness and complains of her cross-examination by the state on matters which were not pertinent or germane to the testimony given by her on direct examination. The trial court, in approving the bill, certifies that no objection was made to this cross-examination.

It is the appellant’s contention that such cross-examination constituted fundamental error in that it was in violation of Article 714, V.A.C.C.P., which provides that a husband and wife shall in no case testify against each other except in a criminal prosecution for an offense committed by one against the other. Appellant contends that he could not waive his wife’s disqualification as a witness against him and was not required to object to the improper cross-examination. This contention is overruled.

An accused will not be permitted to introduce his wife as a witness in his behalf, remain silent during her cross-examination, and secure a reversal in the event any part of her cross-examination impinges upon the rule forbidding the use of the wife as a witness against her husband. Ward v. State, 70 Texas Cr. R. 393, 159 S.W. 272 ; Willingham v. State, 94 Texas Cr. R. 596, 252 S.W. 530 ; Johnson v. State, 95 Texas Cr. R. 483, 255 S.W. 416 ; Givens v. State, 98 Texas Cr. R. 651, 267 S.W. 725 ; Cole v. State, 119 Texas Cr. R. 1, 44 S.W. 2d 722 ; Glover v. State, 142 Texas Cr. R. 592, 152 S.W. 2d 747 .

We have again considered the matters complained of in Bills of Exception Nos. 4, 9 and 10 and remain convinced that these bills do not reflect reversible error.

*505 The motion for rehearing is overruled.

Opinion approved by the Court.

This is a copy of a public record, reproduced as it was published. It is not legal advice, and it may not be the version a court would rely on. Check the official source before you cite it.

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