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Texas courts have two levels: local and state. Article 5 of the State's Constitution lays out the judiciary structure, and further definition can be found in the Texas Probate Code and Texas Government Code (Bessette, et al., 15). There is a very complex structure to the courts in Texas, featuring numerous layers of courts and a great deal of jurisdictions that overlap one another. The appellate system is also unusual in that it is bifurcated (Bessette, et al., 17). That is something found in only Texas and Oklahoma. The most active courts are Municipal Courts, with District and County Courts handling a large number of cases, as well (Maxwell, Crain, & Santos, 55). All three of the courts often share buildings. The Texas Supreme Court is responsible for administration, with aid from the State Bar of Texas, the Texas Office of Court Administration, and the Texas Judicial Council (Maxwell, Crain, &...
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals focuses on only criminal matters, and the Texas Supreme Courts handles matters of the civil variety (Bessette, et al., 23).
Local courts start with the Justice of the Peace Court (Bessette, et al., 45). There is one in each county, and they deal with Class C misdemeanors that are only punishable by fines and not jail time (Bessette, et al., 46). They also handle small civil matters, but the total in dispute for those must be less than $200 (Bessette, et al., 46). Foreclosure, personal property liens, and eviction cases have recently been added by the Legislature, along with a provision that the JP Court can hear cases where the amount in dispute is up to $10,000 (Maxwell, Crain, & Santos, 76). If a matter is not resolved to the satisfaction of the parties, it can be appealed to the County Court (Bessette, et al., 53). Civil matters can also be appealed beyond that level, but criminal cases cannot unless there is a constitutional matter at hand or the fine is more than $100 (Bessette, et al., 55). The number of courts and constables in a county depends on the county's size, in order to allow for a proper number of cases to be heard (Bessette, et al., 56).
Each incorporated city in the state also has a Municipal Court where issues regarding quality of life and…
Works Cited
Bessette, Joseph M., Pitney, Jr., John J., Brown, Lyle C., Langenegger, Joyce A., Garcia, Sonia R., Lewis, Ted A., & Biles, Robert E. American Government and Politics: Deliberation, Democracy and Citizenship: Texas Edition. NY: Cengage Learning. 2011. Print.
Maxwell, William Earl, Crain, Ernest, & Santos, Adolfo. Texas Politics Today (2009-2010 ed.). NY: Cengage Learning. 2010. Print.
Texas Rules of Evidence The most recent Texas Rules of Evidence were codified effective January 1, 2007 (Texas Courts Online. December 21, 2011. P. 1); further examination provides an interesting insight into Texas Law. There are Ten Articles with articulated rules under each article. Article I defines the general provisions of the codified rules, with purpose and scope as follows. Purpose: "these rules shall be construed to secure fairness in administration, elimination
court of criminal appeals of Texas, PD-0307-09 Ronald Wilson, and appellant v the State of Texas. (CCA (a), n. d.) The court of Appeals case was: 04-07-00737-CR, and was affirmed. The appeal came from the trial court: 290th District Court of the Bexar County. The case number there was 2006CR2564 and the judge was Sharon S. Macrae. (Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, 2009) What it was basically about The trial of
Texas Constitution The fundamental law of the State of Texas is clearly stated out in the Constitution of the State of Texas. This document was officially adopted by the voters of the State in 1876 and has since them been amended in several occasions. In addition, under this constitution, the principles for the operation of state government and legal system have been outlined. The principle of separation of powers has given
Texas Prison Reform: A Success Story Government The prison population in the United States experienced an unprecedented expansion between the 1970s and the end of the first decade of the 21st century (Editorial Board, 2013). Beginning with a prison population of 174,000 in 1972 it grew to over 1.4 million by 2010, representing over a 700% increase (PSPP, 2010). By comparison, the growth of the U.S. population was a modest 32% during
Texas Criminal Process Outline Arrest- taking a suspect into official custody. Not all interactions with police, including interrogations, rise to the level of an arrest. Probable cause required for an arrest Arrests may be warrantless or with a warrant. Once under arrest a person has several rights (known collectively as Miranda rights): The right to remain silent; The right to have an attorney present during questioning; The right to an appointed attorney if unable to afford an
") Represtitive Ron Paul against the amendment states, "(R.-Tex.) I had serious questions about the resolution. "I am concerned that we are going to do something here today that Castro did in Cuba for 40 years. There is a prohibition against flag-burning in Cuba. And one of the very first things that Red China did when it took over Hong Kong was to pass an amendment similar to this, to make