Opinion
NO. 14-17-00760-CV
11-21-2017
IN THE INTEREST OF R.P.R. JR., A CHILD
On Appeal from the 314th District Court Harris County, Texas
Trial Court Cause No. 2016-04660J
ORDER
This is an accelerated appeal from a judgment in a suit in which the termination of the parent-child relationship is at issue. Appellant is represented by appointed counsel, Donald Crane. Appellant's brief was originally due October 30, 2017. Appellant requested an extension of time, which this court granted through November 20, 2017, with the notation that no further extensions would be granted absent exceptional circumstances. On November 20, 2017, counsel filed a further request for extension of time to file appellant's brief. To date, appellant's brief has not been filed.
Appeals in parental termination cases and child protection cases are to be brought to final disposition within 180 days of the date the notice of appeal is filed. See Tex. R. Jud. Admin. 6.2(a) (effective May 1, 2012). This accelerated schedule requires greater compliance with briefing deadlines. Therefore, we deny the motion and issue the following order.
We order appellant's appointed counsel, Donald Crane, to file appellant's brief no later than November 30, 2017. If the brief is not filed by that date, counsel may be required to show cause why he should not be held in contempt of court. In addition, the court may require appointment of new counsel due to the failure to timely file appellant's brief.
PER CURIAM Panel consists of Chief Justice Frost and Justices Busby and Wise.