Westergren v. Banales

OPINION

NYE, Chief Justice.

In this original proceeding, relator Phillip Westergren requests this Court to order the Honorable Manuel Banales, judge of the 105th District Court, to enter an order awarding attorney’s fees in a criminal case, without conditioning the award upon payment by the defendant. We conditionally grant the writ.

Relator was appointed by Judge Banales to assist in the representation of Elizabeth Jeanne Jones who was accused of killing her husband, a Corpus Christi police officer. Two special prosecutors had already been appointed. Mrs. Jones had retained Douglas Tinker to…