Morales v. State

OPINION

OVARD, Justice.

In this case, the critical issue is whether a criminal defendant can appeal directly from a jury finding that he is not competent to stand trial and that there is no substantial probability that he will attain competency in the near future. We hold that a judgment of incompetency to stand trial is not a final judgment. Instead, judgments from hearings on competency to stand trial are ancillary to some other proceeding such as a criminal trial or a mental illness hearing. The judgment of competency/incompetency to stand trial is not appealable until a final judgment…