by Madison Mondragon
Texas courts work every day to ensure the fair, timely, and efficient administration of justice. To support and recognize these efforts, the Texas Judicial Council created the Centers of Excellence Program. Centers of Excellence is a statewide initiative designed to help courts assess their administrative practices, strengthen performance, and demonstrate their commitment to serving the public.
The Centers of Excellence Program is administered by the Office of Court Administration (OCA) and is open to courts at every level of the Texas judiciary, including municipal courts. The program provides a structured process for courts to evaluate their operations and implement improvements that support effective court administration. Importantly, the program remains voluntary, allowing courts to participate if and when they are ready to evaluate their practices and pursue recognition..
Participating courts complete four key phases:
1. Outreach and Review – After contacting the OCA, courts create a Court Review by evaluating their current practices and performance and supporting their assessment with documentation and reporting.
2. Implementation – Following the Court Review, the OCA will prepare and present a Court Profile which highlights each court’s strength and identifies areas for improvement. Using the Court Profile, each court will begin working on their performance areas and collecting key documents.
3. Assessment – As the court works through implementation it will inevitably generate or surface documents which outline court processes and procedures like case management plans, communications plans, or employee codes of conduct. The OCA reviews these reports and follows up with a site visit.
4. Nomination and Recognition – Following the onsite, OCA then evaluates the whole process from start to finish with an eye on key changes made across all performance and compliance areas and completes a nomination report. This nomination report highlights the work the work each court puts into the process as well as their ongoing pursuit of excellence. Once the report is complete, the court may be submitted to the Texas Judicial Council to be nominated as a Judicial Center of Excellence.
Courts recognized under the program are reassessed periodically to support continuous improvement.
The program focuses on four key areas of court performance areas:
● Governance – maintaining transparency, accountability, and sound leadership
● Court Operations – effectively managing court services and administration
● Caseflow Management – using data to resolve cases efficiently and fairly
● Access and Fairness – ensuring court processes are understandable and accessible
Additionally, the program evaluates compliance in five primary areas:
● Judicial Reporting Requirements – submitting required reports to the Office of Court Administration, including court activity reports and appointments and fees reports.
● Court Security Reporting – ensuring courthouse security committees are established and court security incident reports are submitted as required.
● Indigent Defense Requirements – implementing and coordinating with the county’s indigent defense plan..
● Fines and Fees – complying with statutory requirements for collecting fines and fees, including notice requirements, determining ability to pay, and providing alternatives to payment when needed.
● Guardianship Abuse, Fraud, and Exploitation – maintaining appointment lists and rotation systems for court appointments and participating in guardianship compliance efforts when applicable.
Programs like Centers of Excellence highlight the important work courts already do while providing tools for continuous improvement. By encouraging courts to review their operations, strengthen compliance with administrative requirements, and adopt best practices, the initiative supports a more effective and accessible judicial system for all Texans.
For additional information, courts should review information about the program on the Centers of Excellence page or by emailing COE@txcourts.gov.
Full Court Press 