Just as municipal courts occupy a unique niche in the Texas judicial system, so do municipal prosecutors. From the smallest town to the largest city, prosecutors in municipal courts play a vital role in the administration of justice. It is estimated that more than 700 attorneys licensed in Texas prosecute in municipal courts. Compared toContinue reading “Announcing the TMCEC Prosecutor Professionalism Program”
Author Archives: Mark Goodner
Texas Constitution and Statutes Web Page Undergoing Maintenance, but New Code Book Available!
The state maintains a wonderful website where every Texas statute is available at the click of a button. Users should be aware that the website will go down for maintenance at 6:00 pm Friday, February 16, 2024 and will be down all weekend until 8:00 am on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. What will you doContinue reading “Texas Constitution and Statutes Web Page Undergoing Maintenance, but New Code Book Available!”
Improperly Passing an Emergency Vehicle: Eligible for DSC?
By Ned Minevitz Effective for offenses committed on or after September 1, 2023, the fine range for violating Section 545.157 of the Transportation Code, which prohibits improperly passing stationary vehicles such as police cars and tow trucks, increased from $1-$200 to $500-$1,250. See H.B. 898 (2023). This change has led some municipal courts to questionContinue reading “Improperly Passing an Emergency Vehicle: Eligible for DSC?”
Public Comment Period Open Regarding New Confidentiality Policy Requirement for Municipal Courts
By Benjamin Gibbs On August 25, 2023, the Supreme Court of Texas issued a Rules Advisory that it had preliminarily approved a change to Rule 7 of the Rules of Judicial Administration. This rule change will affect municipal courts, if enacted in the current form. The advisory also invited public comment, and the public commentContinue reading “Public Comment Period Open Regarding New Confidentiality Policy Requirement for Municipal Courts”
How Do Recent Changes to Juror Reimbursement Affect Municipal Court?
By Ben Gibbs Daylight savings time has come around again. Communities across Texas have kicked off programs that coincide with daylight savings to encourage homeowners to check the batteries in their smoke alarms. For municipal courts, a similar thing happens every summer of an odd-numbered year: time to reexamine any city charters, ordinances, and proceduresContinue reading “How Do Recent Changes to Juror Reimbursement Affect Municipal Court?”
Mandatory Retirement Age for Municipal Judges?
By Ned Minevitz On November 7, 2023, Texans voted on 14 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. The only amendment voters rejected was Proposition 13, which would have, among other things, increased the mandatory retirement age for certain state judges from 75 to 79. This age requirement, which is provided in Section 1-a(1), Article VContinue reading “Mandatory Retirement Age for Municipal Judges?”
Municipal Courts Week is Upon Us! What is Your Court Doing?
Next week is Municipal Courts Week! The 88th Texas Legislature designated the first week of November as Municipal Courts Week each year from 2023 through 2032 via House Concurrent Resolution 75. “First Week” means the first full Monday through Friday of November. This year, that’s November 6-10. See House Concurrent Resolution 75 here. TMCEC GeneralContinue reading “Municipal Courts Week is Upon Us! What is Your Court Doing?”
Child Custody in Municipal Court? House Bill 969, SAPCRs, Civil Penalties, and Municipal Courts
Enforcing child custody orders is a perennial problem for the government. There are countless horror stories of children spirited away by one parent, while the other called desperately for police intervention. There is a new tool for cities in this ongoing struggle, in the form of a new enforcement mechanism. Although cities may feel compelledContinue reading “Child Custody in Municipal Court? House Bill 969, SAPCRs, Civil Penalties, and Municipal Courts”
Today is the Day! All Remaining AY23 Judicial Education Hours are Due 8/31/2023!
Today marks the last day of the 2022-2023 Academic Year for judges to complete their required judicial education. On March 30, 2020, the Court of Criminal Appeals issued an emergency order suspending all sections of the Rules of Judicial Education that require live, continuous hours of judicial education that would prevent a judge from completingContinue reading “Today is the Day! All Remaining AY23 Judicial Education Hours are Due 8/31/2023!”
TDLR Announces Website and Driving Safety Course Completion Certificate Changes
Recently, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) announced changes related to their Driver Education & Safety website and course certificates. These changes are significant to municipal courts wishing to inform defendants where they can find approved driving safety courses (DSC) as well as to municipal courts needing to verify DSC course completion forContinue reading “TDLR Announces Website and Driving Safety Course Completion Certificate Changes”
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