The fourteen Courts of Appeals have intermediate appellate jurisdiction in both civil and criminal cases appealed from district or county courts. Each Court of Appeals has jurisdiction in a specific geographical region of the State. Each Court is presided over by a chief justice and has at least two other justices. The specific number of justices on each Court is set by statute and ranges from three to thirteen.
Presently there are eighty justices authorized for these Courts. Appeals in the Courts of Appeals are usually heard by a panel of three justices, unless in a particular case an en banc hearing is ordered, in which instance all the justices of that Court hear and consider the case.
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Council of Chief Justices
The Council of Chief Justices is an association of the chief justices of the fourteen courts of appeals of Texas. The Council serves as a forum for discussion of issues common to all of the intermediate appellate courts. It began in the late 1970s as a means of coordinating the courts’ legislative budget requests, and meets several times a year to discuss common areas of concern such as legislative budgetary issues, judicial administration, technology needs, performance measures reporting, responding to requests from state agencies, and employment practices. The Council elects a chair-elect each year at its meeting in conjunction with the meeting of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas, and the chair-elect serves a one-year term as chair of the Council beginning the following year. The Office of Court Administration provides budgetary and fiscal assistance to the Council, as well as staff assistance for Council meetings.
Updated: 13-Jul-2007
