Atascosa County
Fourth Administrative Judicial Region (Region 4) · official region site ✓ · County seat: Jourdanton
Rules that apply here (county → region → statewide)
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Atascosa County Court at Law — Order Adopting Local Rules for Appointment of Counsel in Criminal Cases and Schedule of Fees for Payment of Compensation to Appointed Counsel (Sept. 14, 2026)
Order of the Atascosa County Court at Law (Judge Bob Brendel, Sept. 14, 2026) adopting local rules for the appointment of counsel in criminal cases and the fee schedule for appointed counsel: appointment within three business days of the request; a financial questionnaire in the form adopted by the District Judges; flat fees (initial jail visit $50, extradition $250, MTR/MTA $350, Class A and B misdemeanors $400, with $100 add-ons for additional misdemeanor cases and bilingual counsel), an hourly election for extensive contested trial work ($50–$125 in court, $50–$75 out of court), appeals at $60–$120 per hour capped at $3,500; itemized applications in tenth-hour intervals due at the plea or within thirty days of disposition (late applications waive compensation); repayment orders and a prepayment account for employed defendants; written motions for experts; documented billing; representation until disposition with initial contact by the next business day; and withdrawal only by motion with the Court selecting substitute counsel. The schedule does not apply to the Atascosa Area Advocates Public Defender's Office.
Standing Protective Order Regarding Medical Records (Atascosa County Court, County Court at Law and Juvenile Courts; June 10, 2026)
In criminal and juvenile cases in the Atascosa County Court, County Court at Law and juvenile courts, the State may release unredacted medical records directly to defense counsel with this order attached; the records and protected health information are confidential, usable only to investigate, prepare and try the case, viewable by the defendant only as Article 39.14(f) allows and never copied, redacted by defense counsel of account, insurance and Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, contact details and minors' names before any viewing, filed only under seal, and destroyed or returned to the County Attorney at the end of the case, on pain of sanctions.
Standing Protective Order Regarding DFPS Records (Atascosa County Court, County Court at Law and Juvenile Courts; June 10, 2026)
In criminal and juvenile cases in the Atascosa County Court, County Court at Law and juvenile courts, the State may release redacted DFPS records directly to defense counsel with this order attached as the first page; the records are confidential, usable only to prepare and try the case, viewable by the defendant only as Article 39.14(f) allows and never copied to the defendant, further redacted of reporter identity and Family Code § 261.201 information before any viewing, filed only under seal, and destroyed or returned to the County Attorney at the end of the case, on pain of contempt, evidentiary sanctions or disciplinary referral.
Atascosa County Court at Law — Local Rule Regarding Information Needed for Participants to Participate in Proceedings (Tex. R. Civ. P. 21(b); October 15, 2025)
Every notice of a proceeding before the Atascosa County Court at Law (or a matter assigned to its judge) must state the location or electronic-joining instructions, the court's contact information, the date, time and type of proceeding, and instructions for submitting evidence; proceedings are in person at the Atascosa County Justice Center unless the notice says Zoom (meeting number and telephone fallback given), Zoom exhibits go through the chat feature and must be labeled and e-mailed to opposing participants by 3:00 p.m. the business day before, physical evidence is not accepted on Zoom, and non-compliance risks cancellation, resetting, dismissal for want of prosecution, exclusion of evidence or contempt; Appendices A and B supply notice language.
Standing Order Regarding Filing of Child's Birth Certificate in Suits Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (Atascosa County Court at Law; effective September 1, 2025, ordered January 6, 2026)
Under Texas Family Code § 102.008(c-1) (effective September 1, 2025), the petitioner in every original SAPCR (except IV-D petitions) must file a certified copy of each child's birth certificate under seal, separately from other pleadings (eFileTexas 'Sealed' category), or state in the petition or an affidavit that it is unavailable and show diligence; the Court may order alternative proof of parentage and may withhold temporary or final orders or dismiss for want of prosecution; the order sets out how to obtain certificates (Texas, other states, abroad) and designates the attorney of record a 'properly qualified applicant' under Health and Safety Code § 191.051 for obtaining the certificate; the District Clerk serves the order on non-compliant petitioners.
Standing Order — Family Law Case Management: abatement of inactive family cases after 90 days (81st and 218th District Courts and County Court at Law, Atascosa County; April 23, 2025)
Any pending family law case in Atascosa County, including IV-D and DFPS cases, with no activity in the last 90 days is abated by standing order and the District Clerk marks it abated; the clerk reactivates the case when a hearing is set or a pleading requiring court action is filed.
Order Adopting Local Rules for Appointment of Counsel in Criminal Cases and Schedule of Fees for Appointed Counsel (81st and 218th District Courts; Atascosa County edition; adopted February 19, 2025)
The 81st and 218th District Courts' local rules for appointing counsel in criminal cases and the fee schedule for appointed counsel (adopted February 19, 2025, effective immediately): appointment within three business days of a request; an indigence questionnaire; flat fees by offense class (initial jail visit $75, extradition $250, MTR/MTA $450, state-jail felonies $500, third-degree $600, second-degree $750, first-degree $950; +$200 for additional felonies or a pre-indictment appointment, +$100 for bilingual counsel) with hourly rates for extensive contested work ($75–$150 in court, $75–$100 out of court) and appeals at $60–$120 per hour capped at $4,500; itemized applications in tenth-hour intervals due at the plea or within thirty days of disposition, or compensation is waived; defendant contribution and prepayment accounts; written expert motions; documented billing; representation through disposition or appeal with client contact by the next business day; withdrawal only by motion and substitutes chosen only by the Court. The schedule does not apply to the Atascosa Area Advocates Public Defender's Office.
Standing Order Regarding Transfer Between the 81st and 218th Judicial District Courts (Atascosa County; filed January 7, 2025)
Under Texas Government Code § 24.003, either district judge accepts transfer of any non-Family Code chapter 155 case from the other district court's docket, and any district judge serving the county may hear and determine any proceeding, motion or preliminary matter, render final judgment and issue injunctions returnable to any district court of the county without a formal transfer or bench exchange; judgments are entered in the minutes of the court where the case is pending, and a completed matter is transferred to the completing court under § 72.083; the County Court at Law judge sits by assignment on district matters.
Local Rules of Administration for Cases Pending in Atascosa County (County Court, County Court at Law and 81st/218th District Courts; January 1, 2025)
The case-assignment rules for Atascosa County's courts: the County Clerk assigns probate cases and justice-court civil appeals (other than evictions) to the County Court and misdemeanors, county civil cases, occupational licenses, traffic and criminal appeals, evictions appeals, guardianships and protective orders to the Court at Law; the District Clerk assigns juvenile cases to the County Court, all family law matters, civil cases from $500 to $250,000, workers' compensation appeals, protective orders and occupational licenses to the Court at Law, and state penalty suits, official-misconduct misdemeanors, contested elections and all other district matters evenly to the District Courts; transfers, substitution among judges when a judge is unavailable, the routing of emergency and special matters, and settings through each court's coordinator.
Standing Order Regarding Child(ren), Property, and Conduct of Parties in Divorce and Suits Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (81st and 218th District Courts and County Court at Law, Atascosa County; December 1, 2023 edition)
The automatic temporary restraining order in every divorce and SAPCR filed in Atascosa County (other than DFPS and Attorney General suits): no removing, hiding, disparaging or disturbing the child, no overnight dating guests during possession in an original divorce, no harassment, violence, mail diversion or (from this December 2023 edition) tracking or following of the other party, and in a divorce no dissipation of property, records, insurance or accounts beyond the specifically authorized business, living and legal expenses; served with the petition, effective on filing as a 14-day TRO that becomes a temporary injunction unless contested, subordinate to protective orders, bond waived.
Standing Order Regarding Release on Bail of Defendant Charged With Felony Offense Committed While on Bail for Felony Offense (81st and 218th District Courts; Atascosa County edition; April 21, 2023)
Under Code of Criminal Procedure art. 17.027, a defendant charged with a felony committed while on bail for a felony in the same county may be released only by the court where the prior case is pending or a court it designates in writing; the 81st and 218th District Courts designate that a defendant on bail for, or charged with, murder may be magistrated and have bail set only by a district or county-court-at-law judge of that county, and any other art. 17.027 defendant may be magistrated and have bail set by a district, county-court-at-law, justice of the peace or municipal judge of that county.
Local Rules of Practice of the 81st and 218th Judicial District Courts, the Atascosa County Court at Law and the Atascosa County Court (effective January 1, 2023; Atascosa County edition)
The local rules of the 81st and 218th District Courts (Atascosa, Frio, Karnes, La Salle and Wilson Counties) and of the Atascosa County Court at Law and County Court: courtroom conduct and decorum (Texas Lawyer's Creed incorporated; attire; security screening; no devices without approval; no recording), continuances (consent or notice; motion set through the Court Administrator's website), priority of conflicting settings, interpreters, withdrawal of counsel, remote hearings on request, ex parte applications, pretrial and trial settings through the Court Administrator, mandatory ADR before any trial of four or more hours, entry of orders, criminal arraignment and duties of appointed counsel, temporary family-law hearings (one hour; required financial documents), adoptions review, the divorce checklist, and the authority, citation and construction rules.
Fourth Administrative Judicial Region of Texas — Procedures for Attorney Fee Appeals (signed January 17, 2017; effective for decisions on or after January 20, 2017)
The Fourth Region's presiding-judge procedures for court-appointed attorneys' fee appeals under Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 26.05, applying to the district and county courts of the region's twenty-two counties: an appeal lies from a trial court's attorney-fee decision or from its failure to decide within the 60-day period of article 26.05(c); the appeal packet (the written documentation sent to the trial court, a copy of the court's decision with the written findings and reasons article 26.05 requires, and a motion or letter explaining why the decision should be modified) must be sent to both the Presiding Judge and the trial court within fourteen days after the attorney receives notice of the decision, by e-mail with PDF attachments or by hard copy to the region's office at the Bexar County Courthouse; the trial court may modify its findings or decision in writing within five days of receiving the packet, sending the modification to the Presiding Judge and the attorney; and the Presiding Judge "determine[s] the appropriate amount of payment" under article 26.05(c) and notifies the attorney and the trial court. Signed January 17, 2017 by Presiding Judge David Peeples; effective for decisions made on or after January 20, 2017.
Fourth Administrative Judicial Region of Texas — Rules of the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region (adopted March 8, 1993)
The thirteen region-wide rules of the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region (the 22-county South Texas region), adopted by the Council of Presiding Judges at Austin on March 8, 1993: time standards for disposition (criminal trial within 180 days of indictment, civil jury 18 months and non-jury 12 months from appearance, contested family cases 6 months and uncontested 3 months, juvenile detention hearings the next business day with adjudication within 10 or 30 days and disposition within 15), complex-case allowance, continuances only as the rules permit and one agreed pass; monthly OCA reports to the regional presiding judge; county boards of judges must adopt uniform local rules for civil, family/juvenile and criminal cases, a jury plan, a judicial-absence plan and a rule for regular judges' meetings; local rules must follow the region's numbering and take effect only on approval by the presiding judge and the Supreme Court; conflicting-engagement priorities (criminal, statutory preference, preferential settings, earliest setting, earliest filing, multi-judge counties yield to rural counties); four weeks' attorney vacation on 90 days' written notice; pretrial motions three days before docket call and certified requests for settings; and courtroom decorum.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.9 — Attorneys Not Admitted to Practice Before this Court
N.D. Tex. LR 83.9 — Attorneys Not Admitted to Practice Before this Court: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.8 — Loss of Membership and Discipline of Attorneys
N.D. Tex. LR 83.8 — Loss of Membership and Discipline of Attorneys: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.7 — Admission of Attorneys
N.D. Tex. LR 83.7 — Admission of Attorneys: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.6 — Applications to Proceed In Forma Pauperis
N.D. Tex. LR 83.6 — Applications to Proceed In Forma Pauperis: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.4.1 — Compliance with Standards of Litigation Conduct
N.D. Tex. LR 83.4.1 — Compliance with Standards of Litigation Conduct: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.4 — Conduct of Attorneys at Trial or Hearing
N.D. Tex. LR 83.4 — Conduct of Attorneys at Trial or Hearing: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.3 — Assignment of Cases
N.D. Tex. LR 83.3 — Assignment of Cases: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.2 — Miscellaneous and Special Orders
N.D. Tex. LR 83.2 — Miscellaneous and Special Orders: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.18 — Photographs, Broadcasting, Recording, and Television Forbidden
N.D. Tex. LR 83.18 — Photographs, Broadcasting, Recording, and Television Forbidden: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.17 — Weapons Forbidden
N.D. Tex. LR 83.17 — Weapons Forbidden: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.
N.D. Tex. LR 83.16 — Dress and Conduct
N.D. Tex. LR 83.16 — Dress and Conduct: the court's own rule, verbatim from LOCAL CIVIL RULES OF THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS (Effective September 1, 2026), official PDF, sha-custodied. Court-level requirement: applies in every case before the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas alongside the federal rules and any judge-specific procedures.