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651 S.W.2d 413

Lopez v. State

Court of Appeals of Texas

Decided May 11, 1983

Court of Appeals of Texas · decided 1983-05-11

Good law ✅— No negative treatment on recordhow we know

Decided 1983-05-11

How this case has been cited

Cited by 14 later decisions — most recently May 2013

14 state decisions

501983199020002010decided

Later decisions citing this case, by decade. The current decade is in progress, and our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so the latest bars are undercounted — not a real decline.

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FENDER, Chief Justice,

¶1dissenting.

¶2I heartily endorse the fears expressed in the majority opinion concerning the inherent dangers attendant to videotape re-enactments. I cannot, however, let such concern — deep though it may be-stampede me into joining a didactic ban on the use of modern technology. I would suggest that such more properly falls to the legislative process — not the judicial function.

¶3Ingrained in the judicial process is the continuing battle between probative value and prejudicial effect. The vast majority of these confrontations require a case by case analysis. I would support such an approach in the field of videotape re-enactment.

¶4In the instant cause a review of the videotape revealed nothing of value to either the State or the defense. It is doubtful that any one of the jurors was swayed in the slightest bit one way or the other. Therefore, while not encouraging further such demonstrative productions, I would hold this attempted re-enactment harmless and affirm the conviction.

¶5I dissent.

¶6SPURLOCK, J., concurs.

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