Annual Statistical Report for the Texas Judiciary Fiscal Year 2014 Table of Contents Texas Courts: A Descriptive Summary Court Structure and Jurisdiction Court Structure Chart ................................................................................................................................3 Funding of the Texas Judicial Branch .........................................................................................................4 Figure 1 - State Judicial Branch Funding Sources ............................................................................................................4 Figure 2 - Appropriations for Operating Costs for the State Judicial Branch ...................................................................4 Figure 3 - District Judge Compensation as Percentage of Total State Appropriations for the State Judicial Branch .......4 Figure 4 - State Judicial Branch Appropriations ...............................................................................................................5 Court Structure and Function ....................................................................................................................5 Figure 5 - Administrative Judicial Regions .......................................................................................................................11 Assigned Judges in the Trial Courts ............................................................................................................12 Judicial Administration ..............................................................................................................................14 Information About Texas Judges Judicial Qualifications and Selection in the State of Texas ..........................................................................16 Demographic Profile of Judges ..................................................................................................................17 Appointed State Judges .............................................................................................................................19 Salaries and Turnover of Elected State Judges Salaries of Elected State Judges .................................................................................................................21 Table 1 - Salary Summary for Elected State Judges .........................................................................................................21 Table 2 - Compensation of Full-Time, Private Practitioners in 2013 ................................................................................22 Table 3 - Salaries of State Judges in the Six Most Populous States as of October 1, 2014 ..............................................22 Turnover of Elected State Judges ...............................................................................................................23 Table 4 - Turnover of State Appellate and District Judges ...............................................................................................23 Table 5 - Manner in Which State Appellate and District Judges Left Office.....................................................................23 Table 6 - Factors Influencing Respondents’ Decision to Leave the State Judiciary ..........................................................24 Table 7 - Factors That Would Compel Judges to Continue Service as a State Judge........................................................24 Table 8 - Service After Resigning or Completing Their Terms ..........................................................................................24 Activity of the Texas Courts Caseload Trends in the Appellate Courts Supreme Court .........................................................................................................................................27 Figure 6 - Regular Causes ................................................................................................................................................27 Figure 7 - Petitions for Review .........................................................................................................................................28 Figure 8 - Percentage of Petitions Granted .....................................................................................................................28 Figure 9 - Petitions for Review Granted by Court of Appeals ..........................................................................................29 Table 9 - Case Processing Times ......................................................................................................................................29 Court of Criminal Appeals .........................................................................................................................31 Figure 10 - Mandatory Caseload in the Court of Criminal Appeals .................................................................................31 Figure 11 - Percentage of Direct Appeals Cases Involving the Death Penalty .................................................................32 Figure 12 - Death Sentences Affirmed by the Court of Criminal Appeals ........................................................................32 Figure 13 - Petitions for Discretionary Review ................................................................................................................33 Figure 14 - Percentage of Petitions for Discretionary Review Granted ...........................................................................33 i Figure 15 - Petitions for Review Granted by Court of Appeals ........................................................................................34 Table 10 - Case Processing Times ....................................................................................................................................34 Courts of Appeals ......................................................................................................................................36 Figure 16 - New Filings ....................................................................................................................................................36 Figure 17 - Total Cases Added, Disposed and Pending ....................................................................................................36 Figure 18 - Average Time Between Filing and Disposition ..............................................................................................37 Figure 19 - New Filings Per Justice ..................................................................................................................................37 Table 11 - Top Five Counties from Which Appeals Were Filed ........................................................................................38 Caseload Trends in the Trial Courts Trends in Texas District and County-Level Courts .......................................................................................42 Figure 20 - New Injury or Damage Cases Filed in District and County-Level Courts ........................................................42 Figure 21 - New Divorce and All Other Family Law Cases Filed in the District and County-Level Courts ........................43 Figure 22 - Child Support Cases With Orders ..................................................................................................................43 Figure 23 - New Suits on Debt and Accounts, Contracts and Notes Cases Filed in District and County-Level Courts .....44 Figure 24 - District and County-Level Courts: Criminal Case Types with Largest Percentage Increase in New Filings ....44 Figure 25 - County-Level Courts: New Traffic Cases Filed ................................................................................................45 District Courts ...........................................................................................................................................46 Figure 26 - Cases Added ..................................................................................................................................................46 Figure 27 - District Court Civil, Family, Criminal and Juvenile Cases ................................................................................46 Figure 28 - Family, Criminal and Civil Cases Added .........................................................................................................47 Figure 29 - Juvenile Cases Added ....................................................................................................................................47 Figure 30 - Criminal Cases Added ....................................................................................................................................48 Figure 31 - Civil Cases Added...........................................................................................................................................48 Figure 32 - Case Clearance Rates .....................................................................................................................................49 Figure 33 - Disposition of Criminal Cases ........................................................................................................................49 Figure 34 - Criminal Case Trial Outcomes ........................................................................................................................50 Figure 35 - Criminal Conviction Rates by Case Category .................................................................................................50