Cates v. Texas (Original)
Annotate this CaseAppellant Russell Cates was convicted of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. He was sentenced to 24 months in a state-jail facility and assessed a $5,000 fine. The trial court found that Appellant was unable to pay costs "on this date" and ordered that the funds be withdrawn from Appellant's inmate trust account. Appellant appealed, arguing that the trial court erred in ordering him to pay court-appointed attorney's fees as part of court costs because the trial court previously found him indigent, and there was no factual basis on record that he could pay the fees. The court of appeals determined that the record supported the trial court's finding that Appellant could pay at least a portion of the fees. Upon review, the Supreme Court modified the appellate court's judgment to delete the fees of Appellant's court-appointed attorney that were included in the order for payment of court costs.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.