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Annual Statistical Report for the Texas Judiciary

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Annual Statistical Report for the Texas Judiciary ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT FOR THE TEXAS JUDICIARY FISCAL YEAR 2013 ANNUAL STATISTICAL REPORT FOR THE TEXAS JUDICIARY FISCAL YEAR 2013 Published By OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION DAVID SLAYTON, ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR 205 WEST 14TH STREET, SUITE 600 POST OFFICE BOX 12066 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2066 (512) 463-1625 FAX: (512) 463-1648 WWW.TXCOURTS.GOV JANUARY 2014 Table of Contents TEXAS COURTS: A DESCRIPTIVE SUMMARY Court Structure and Jurisdiction Court Structure Chart .....................................................................................................................................3 Funding of the Texas Judicial Branch ...........................................................................................................4 Court Structure and Function ........................................................................................................................5 Judicial Administration ..................................................................................................................................10 Information About Texas Judges Judicial Qualifications and Selection in the State of Texas ........................................................................13 Profile of Judges ...............................................................................................................................................14 Newly Elected State Judges ............................................................................................................................15 State Judges Appointed ..................................................................................................................................16 Salaries and Turnover of Elected State Judges Salaries of Elected State Judges .....................................................................................................................18 Turnover of Elected State Judges ..................................................................................................................20 ACTIVITY OF THE TEXAS COURTS Caseload Trends in the Appellate Courts Supreme Court ................................................................................................................................................25 Court of Criminal Appeals .............................................................................................................................28 Courts of Appeals ............................................................................................................................................31 Caseload Trends in the Trial Courts Trends in Texas District and County-Level Courts ....................................................................................36 Assigned Judges in the Trial Courts .............................................................................................................38 District Courts ..................................................................................................................................................39 Statutory County Courts ................................................................................................................................52 Constitutional County Courts .......................................................................................................................65 Family Law Cases (District and Statutory County Courts) .......................................................................73 Juvenile Cases (District and County-Level Courts) ....................................................................................77 Probate and Guardianship Cases (County-Level Courts) .........................................................................82 Applications for Involuntary Mental Health Services (County-Level Courts) ......................................84 Justice Courts....................................................................................................................................................85 Municipal Courts .............................................................................................................................................91 Other Required Reports .......................................................................................................................................97 EXPLANATION OF TRIAL COURT CASE CATEGORIES Case Status and Clearance Rate Definitions .......................................................................................................100 Case Type Categories .............................................................................................................................................101 i OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION A Message from the Administrative Director Addressing the Sixth Congress of the Republic of Texas on November 1, 1841, President Sam Houston stated that “an able, hon- est, and enlightened judiciary should be the first object of every people.” Every day across our great republic, judges, clerks, court coordinators and numerous other court personnel work to bring Houston’s vision to fruition. All of this work culminates in statistical measures that can be reported to the public in an act of transparency and accountability that our society deserves from its government. That being said, a statistical report does not in itself describe the impact that the judiciary has on millions of citizens and businesses in Texas. It is the daily stories of justice for all, a premise yearned for by many around the world, that Texas courts seek to produce an “able, honest and enlightened judiciary.” We hope that this report provides a glimpse into those efforts. Some of the highlights from the statistical report are listed below: • The more than 3,600 judicial officers in the state disposed of approximately 10.1 million cases during fiscal year 2013. • The Supreme Court ended the fiscal year with the fewest number of pending cases since 1995. • The average times between filing and disposition of applications for writs of habeas corpus and petitions for discretionary review filed in the Court of Criminal Appeals were 40 and 65 days, respectively. Death penalty cases averaged 646 days. • Almost half of the appeals filed in the courts of appeal came from the state’s five most populous counties. Despite being the second largest county, Dallas County had the highest number of appeals due to a larger number of criminal appeals than Harris County. • The number of injury and damage cases not involving a motor vehicle filed in the district and county-level courts are now at their lowest levels since reporting by this case type begin in 1980, having dropped 41 percent since 1988. On the other hand, the number of injury and damage cases involving a motor vehicle filed in the district and county-level courts has risen by 43 percent since 1988. This has caused the total tort case filings to remain fairly level overall. • Despite a nearly 60 percent increase in the adult population in Texas since 1988, the number of divorce cases filed in the district and county-level courts has only increased 4 percent. That being said, the number of other family law matters and child support cases have increased by 297 percent and 454 percent, respectively. Family law cases now make up the largest share of the cases added at the district courts. • Debt-related cases filed in the district and county-level courts have decreased 64 percent since 2007, when the number of debt cases was at a 20-year high. • Only 1,368 civil cases (0.4 percent) in the district and county-level courts were disposed of by jury trial. • Misdemeanor drug offenses accounted for the largest increase in the number of criminal cases filed in the district and county-level courts in the past 25 years (an increase of 59,904 cases, or 238 percent. Felony assault or attempted murder filings had the highest percentage increase in that same time period (308 percent). • Of the criminal cases punishable by incarceration disposed of in fiscal year 2013 by conviction or deferred adjudication, 63 percent were placed on some form of community supervision, while 34 percent were incarcerated. These rates have remained consistent the last three years. • Only 2.5 percent of the juvenile delinquency cases disposed in fiscal year 2013 resulted in the child being committed to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, the lowest level in at least two decades. • Almost 83 percent of applications for a guardianship were granted, while only 2,402 guardianships were reported closed during fiscal year 2013. At the end of the fiscal year, there were 46,587 active guardianships in the state. • Of the 43,054 applications for involuntary temporary mental health services filed in fiscal year 2013, 65.1 percent of the proposed patients were committed to inpatient treatment and 2.7 percent to outpatient treatment. The remainder (32.2 percent) were released. • Failure to attend school cases accounted for 54.3 percent of the juvenile cases reported filed in the justice court. The 68,929 cases filed represents a 28 percent drop in the number reported from 2011. • The municipal courts disposed of more than 5.3 million criminal cases and another half million civil or administrative cases during fiscal year 2013. Excluding cases dismissed prior to trial or at trial, the amount collected per criminal disposition averaged approximately $149. Our office is dedicated to providing resources and information for the efficient administration of the judicial branch
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