Texas v. Hartfield

Issue: (1) Whether the Texas Court of Appeals erred in failing to apply standard waiver doctrine to respondent's claim for dismissal of his murder indictment under the Sixth Amendment's speedy trial clause, in conflict with the Supreme Court's holding in Barker v. Wingo that standard waiver doctrine applies; (2) whether, in finding that the speedy trial clause violated, the Texas Court of Appeals erred in weighing strongly against the government its litigation of a good-faith position on an unclear legal issue, in contravention of the Supreme Court's direction in Barker v. Wingo, United States v. Loud Hawk, and United States v. Ewell ; and (3) whether, in finding the speedy trial clause violated, the Texas Court of Appeals erred in holding that a defendant invokes his right to a speedy trial merely by seeking dismissal of the indictment after the period of delay complained of, thus creating a split with decisions of the Supreme Court and the federal courts of appeals.