Penry v. Texas, 515 U.S. 1304 (1995)

Penry v. Texas


Decided August 28, 1995
No. A-180


515 U.S. 1304

ON APPLICATION FOR EXTENSION OF TIME

Syllabus

An application for extension of time in which to file a petition for a writ of certiorari to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is denied. The reasons for an extension offered by counsel -- a voluminous record below, the breadth of errors committed below, and counsel of record’s anticipated absence shortly before the filing date -- fall short of what constitutes "good cause" to support such a disfavored application. All applicants would benefit from additional time to prepare a petition for certiorari. It is inconceivable that counsel here could have filed their 375-page Court of Criminal Appeals’ brief, detailing 132 allegations of error, without acquiring considerable familiarity with the record. Counsel asked for reconsideration, and thus had six months to review the Court of Criminal Appeals’ opinion. Finally, counsel’s planned absences should affect neither the degree of preparation afforded a client’s case nor the orderly administration of this Court’s deadlines.