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The Facts About Texas Court Records
To understand how Texas court records work, you first have to know what a court record is. Basically, a court record is a document which includes proceedings and decisions of the court which are filed permanently in the county clerk’s office within the Texas state records system. This task is done by either the county recorder or recorder of deeds who’s responsibility it is to keep records their respective counties.
Court records are public domain as outlined by the Texas Public Information Act (TPIA). This act was put into place to guarantee the transparency of these records and that the public has access to court records at all levels of the government. You need not give any reason for obtaining these records. Certain exceptions do apply which is determined by the case and it’s content, but most records are readily available to the public. It’s the responsibility of all governmental agencies to promptly release requested records that are not confidential by law to anyone who requests it.
Court records may include vital records, background records, property records, criminal records, arrest records, civil actions, juvenile court records, and any other instance where a record was created in relation to Texas law. In a court record you will find a wealth of information such as date and time of the incident or action, personal information, civil case data, federal case data, case outcomes, and much more.
The Texas court system is broken up into state court records, state civil records and state criminal records. Each handles and is responsible for the keeping of different types of records. This is to ensure an organized record keeping system. The Texas Judicial Branch website offers a pdf of the Texas Court structure.
Texas State Court Records
Texas state court records are records that are non-criminal in nature and are considered vital records. Records which fall into this category are marriage/divorce records, birth/death records, property records, address records, and basic background records.
Texas State Civil Records
Civil court records usually include cases involving monetary damages between citizens. Types of civil court records are civil action cases, small claims cases, eviction actions, court judgments and probate cases.
Texas State Criminal Records
Criminal court records encompass any record pertaining to a misdemeanor or a felony including outstanding warrants, arrest records, criminal records, jail records, and sex-offender records.
To sum up, the types or Texas court records the public can access are as follows: arrest records, criminal records, jail records, outstanding warrants, court records, civil judgments, alias/maiden name, marriage/divorce records, birth/death records, property records, federal and state tax liens, and more.
How the Texas Court System Works
When searching for court records in Texas it’s helpful to understand how the court system was created so you know where to go for the right information. Texas is one of the largest states in the U.S. Hence, there are multiple layers of courts set up to serve the state justice system starting at the county level all the way up to the Supreme Court of Texas. If you need contact information for individual courts in Texas, The Texas Judicial Branch website has an interactive map of all counties. Click on a county and you will see the names of respective courts; district, county, municipal and justice along with the judges name, addresses and contact information for each court listed.
The Texas Supreme Court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are the highest appellate courts in the state. The Court of Criminal Appeals deals with criminal cases and is the superior court for all criminal matters (excluding juvenile proceedings). In Texas, juvenile records are regarded as civil matters due to the age of the individual.
The Court of Criminal Appeals is composed of one presiding judge which has supremacy over 8 other judges who serve the Texas court criminal system. All decisions made by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals are regarded as the final judgment and can only be overruled by the United States Supreme Court.
Court of Criminal Appeals
Supreme Court Building
201 W. 14th Street, Room 106,
Austin, Texas 78701
Mailing Address
Court of Criminal Appeals
P.O. Box 12308
Austin, TX 78711
Phone: 512-463-1551
Fax: 512-463-7061
If a trial court case ends in a verdict of the death penalty the case will be sent to the Court of Criminal Appeals for a final decision. The appeals of all other criminal cases end up in one of the 14 Texas Courts of Appeals. As the presiding court for criminal cases in Texas, the Court of Criminal Appeals has the right to review decisions of each lower trial court.
All other courts fall under the Texas Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeals and are considered lower level courts. This includes county courts of appeals, county-level courts, district-level courts, municipal courts, and justice of the peace courts.
Texas municipal courts and the justice of the peace courts are considered local trial courts. For that reason they have limited jurisdiction. Justice of the peace courts handle cases for criminal actions of small claims, criminal misdemeanors that are punishable by fine only, and perform magistrate functions. The municipal courts have jurisdiction over municipal ordinance criminal cases, criminal misdemeanors punishable by fine only, limited civil jurisdiction, and perform magistrate functions.
Supreme Court of Texas
Supreme Court Building
201 W. 14th Street, Room 104
Austin, TX 78701
Mailing Address
Supreme Court of Texas
PO Box 12248
Austin, TX 78711
Main: 512-463-1312
Fax: 512-463-1365