Upcoming Events
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September 6, 2013
9:00 a.m.
3rd Court of Appeals Courtroom 209 West 14th Street Austin, TX
September 20, 2013
10:00 a.m.
Supreme Court of Texas Courtroom
Supreme Court Building
201 West 14th Street
Austin, TX
September 26, 2013
Texas CMS Vendor Roundtable Location: TBD
September 27, 2013
10:00 - 12:00
Texas Association of Counties 1210 San Antonio St. Austin, TX 78701
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News
From the Office of Court Administration (OCA)
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Supreme Court Releases Statewide eFiling Rules for Public Comment
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The Supreme Court has released the much awaited statewide eFiling Rules for public comment. The rules incorporate the statewide eFiling mandate and provide guidance to judges, clerks, attorneys and other filers. Public comment will be accepted through October 31, 2013, with the rules set to go into effect on January 1, 2014.
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This month, the Office of Court Administration and Texas Judicial Council released the Legislative Edition of the Texas Judicial Report for the 83rd Legislature. Find out about bills that impact the judiciary that were signed into law in the most recent legislative session.
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Attorney General Opinion Provides Guidance on Destroying Juvenile Case Records
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Responding to a request regarding a perceived conflict in Family Code Section 58.0071 regarding whether the custodian of physical records and files in a juvenile case can destroy hard copies of those records in particular instances, the Attorney General issued an opinion stating that:
- Custodians of physical records and files in a juvenile case are authorized to destroy hard-copy, original paper records and files at any time if the custodian electronically duplicates and stores the information in the records and files; and
- Juvenile boards, law enforcement agencies, or prosecuting attorneys are authorized to permanently destroy paper-based and electronic records and files of closed juvenile cases subject to the restrictions of subsections 58.0071(d) and (e).
This opinion was closely watched by judges and court clerks as it has tremendous implications as courts and clerks look to transition to fully electronic case files.
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Changes to Vexatious Litigant Statute
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Chapter 11 of the Civil Practice and Remedies Code, the Texas statute concerning vexatious litigants, was amended during the regular session of the 83rd Legislature by Senate Bill 1630. Of special interest to clerks is the new Section 11.1035 regarding the mistaken filing of a suit presented by a vexatious litigant. The following is a brief summary of the key changes to Chapter 11 provided in SB 1630:
- Specifies the applicability of a prefiling order: (Section 11.101 (d) and (e))
- An order entered by a district or county court at law applies to each court in the state.
- An order entered by a justice or constitutional county court applies only to the court that entered the order.
- Identifies the appropriate local administrative judge from whom a vexatious litigant must obtain permission to file: (Section 11.102 (a)(1) and (a)(2))
- the local administrative judge of the type of court in which the vexatious litigant intends to file; or
- if the vexatious litigant intends to file in a justice or constitutional county court, the local administrative district judge.
- New Section 11.1035 titled "Mistaken Filing" establishes procedures in the event that a clerk mistakenly files pro se litigation presented by a vexatious litigant subject to a prefiling order without an order granting permission to file from the appropriate local administrative judge. In the event the clerk mistakenly files litigation that requires an order from a local administrative judge, any party may file with the clerk and serve on the plaintiff and the other parties to the litigation a notice stating that the plaintiff is a vexatious litigant required to obtain permission under Section 11.102 to file litigation. Not later than the next business day after the date the clerk receives notice that a vexatious litigant subject to a prefiling order under Section 11.101 has filed, pro se, litigation without obtaining an order from the appropriate local administrative judge, the clerk shall notify the court that the litigation was mistakenly filed. On receiving notice from the clerk, the court is required to immediately stay the litigation and dismiss the litigation unless the plaintiff, not later than the 10th day after the date the notice is filed, obtains an order from the appropriate local administrative judge permitting the filing of the litigation. An order dismissing litigation that was mistakenly filed by a clerk may not be appealed.
- Provides that Chapter 11 does not apply to a municipal court. (Section 11.002(b))
- Provides that a person who is subject to a prefiling order and who files a request seeking permission to file litigation must provide a copy of the request to all defendants named in the proposed litigation. (Section 11.102(b))
- Provides that the Office of Court Administration may not remove the name of a vexatious litigant subject to a prefiling order under Section 11.101 from the agency's website unless the office receives a written order from the court that entered the prefiling order or from an appellate court. An order of removal affects only a prefiling order entered under Section 11.101 by the same court. A court of appeals decision reversing a prefiling order entered under Section 11.101 affects only the validity of an order entered by the reversed court. (Section 11.104(c))
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Language Mapper Tool Provides Information to Courts on Language Needs
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The United States Census Bureau recently released a mapping tool that allows individuals to see what languages are present by location. This resource can be used by courts to determine the language access needs in their area. For additional language access resources, visit OCA's Language Access webpage.
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TexFile Transition Continues
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Gregg County became the first county to go live on TexFile in late June. In addition, NICUSA let OCA know their intention to close the existing Texas.gov system on 11/30/13. The TexFile team has reset the transition schedule and is reaching out to the counties impacted by the change in the deadline to ensure that e-filing remains an option in those counties. Fortunately, the TexFile team has obtained the configuration of the existing system and will be able to transition counties to TexFile quickly.
OCA is also in the process of certifying electronic filing service providers (EFSPs) for the TexFile system. Three EFSPs are currently certified (TexFile's Portal, ProDoc and FileTime). An additional 10+ EFSPs are currently working towards becoming certified.
To find out more information about TexFile, please visit the TexFile site.
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JCIT Receives Update on TexFile
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The Judicial Committee on Information Technology met July 11th and received an update on the transition to the new TexFile system. JCIT will be working with the state bar as well as the local bars of the top 10 counties to alert attorneys of the upcoming eFiling mandate. JCIT meets again on September 27.
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Justice for All: Upcoming Changes to Justice of the Peace Courts Meant to Simplify the Court Process for Users
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The Texas Association of Counties has released an article on the upcoming rule changes for Justice of the Peace courts. Here is a quote from the article:
"But justice courts are going to get simpler beginning Aug. 31, when new rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Texas will go into effect. The rules combine justice court cases and small claims court cases into just one court. Though the court will be named the justice court, it will follow rules very similar to what small claims courts have always followed."
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Nevarez appointed as District Judge
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Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Jesus "Jesse" Nevarez Jr. of Keller as judge of the 231st Judicial District Court in Tarrant County for a term to expire at the next general election.
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Supreme Court of Texas Recruiting for 2014-2015 Law Clerks
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The Supreme Court of Texas is currently accepting applications for 2014-2015 law clerk positions. No application deadline exists and applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. For more information, visit
http://tinyurl.com/k5mpvfz.
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NCSC releases Trends in State Courts 2013
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Silver anniversary edition marks new look, approach
The National Center for State Courts has published Trends in State Courts 2013, the 25th-anniversary edition of its "Report on Trends in the State Courts" series. This annual publication examines emerging trends and initiatives that affect state court operations nationwide. Trends 2013 begins with a keynote article by Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman of New York about the state's requirement that applicants to the state bar perform 50 hours of pro bono work before being admitted to practice law. Other emerging initiatives discussed include:
- Improving child protection outcomes;
- Using courthouse observation teams to improve customer service;
- Understanding the impact of human trafficking on state courts;
- Making courts more nimble through the use of dynamic strategic networks in addition to strategic plans; and
- Identifying access-to-justice issues for the poor.
NCSC also launched a new Trends website, which offers a new online "monthly" edition of Trends, including multimedia clips from authors to highlight and expand on their written pieces. NCSC is also accepting submissions for the 2014 edition of Trends.
MORE >
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Courts should be managed as "loosely coupled" organizations
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Latest in Harvard Executive papers
NCSC President Mary McQueen says court leaders need to rethink their approach to governing. In Governance: The Final Frontier, the latest in the Harvard Executive paper series, McQueen, argues that "too much attention and energy has been focused on finding ways to emulate in the court environment what appears to work in administering or governing executive branch agencies and private businesses." Courts, instead, should consider the governing models of "loosely coupled organizations," State courts, like public hospitals and universities, provide services requiring extensive and specialized knowledge in a context of decentralized decision making, she says. With that in mind, court leaders need to move away from their longstanding focus on the model for governing private corporations and executive branch agencies. McQueen's paper brings to nine the number published as a result of the Executive Session for State Court Leaders in the 21st Century. Watch McQueen discuss her paper
at https://vimeo.com/69027778.
MORE >
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Juvenile Drug Courts Learning Collaborative
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Deadline: August 31, 2013
The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges are seeking juvenile drug courts to participate in its Juvenile Drug Court Learning Collaborative. Successful applicant courts will participate in a multiyear project to test and evaluate best practices for building capacity, assessing needs, initiating strategic planning, implementing program improvements, evaluating program performance, and sustaining programs. Selected sites will serve as models for system change and be expected to share their experiences with other courts across the nation. Eligible entities are juvenile drug courts that have been in operation for two or more years and meet other criteria as outlined in the application packet.
Visit website for more information » Wendy Schiller at wschiller@ncfjcj.org
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- Tarr, G. Alan. Judicial Process and Judicial Policymaking, 6th ed. Cengage, 2013.
- Tarr, G. Alan. Without Fear or Favor: Judicial Independence and Judicial Accountability in the States, Stanford University Press, 2013.
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Judicial Training Resource Links
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About the OCA
OCA is a state agency in the judicial branch that operates under the direction and supervision of the Supreme Court of Texas and the chief justice and is governed primarily byChapter 72 of the Texas Government Code. www.txcourts.gov
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