Karnes County, TX
All 6 county-scoped rules
Every published instrument scoped to Karnes County, newest effective date first. 2 region-wide and 1,248 statewide instruments also apply here — search all three layers together. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
Published rules, newest effective date first
Showing 1–6 of 6
Order Adopting Local Rules for Appointment of Counsel in Criminal Cases and Schedule of Fees for Appointed Counsel (81st and 218th District Courts; Karnes 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 (Frio, Karnes, La Salle and Wilson Counties edition; Karnes County)
Under Texas Government Code § 24.003, the 81st and 218th District Courts accept transfer of any non-Family Code chapter 155 case from each other's dockets, 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.
Standing Order Regarding Child(ren), Property, and Conduct of Parties in Divorce and Suits Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (81st and 218th District Courts; Frio, Karnes, La Salle and Wilson Counties edition of December 1, 2023; Karnes County)
The automatic temporary restraining order in every divorce and SAPCR before the 81st and 218th District Courts (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; Karnes 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 (Atascosa, Frio, Karnes, La Salle and Wilson Counties; effective January 1, 2023; Karnes County edition)
The local rules of the 81st and 218th District Courts as they sit in Karnes County: 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.
Local Order — Court Policy Regarding "Pro Se" Applicants in Probate and Guardianship Matters (Karnes County Court; Judge Hedtke)
In the Karnes County Court a self-represented person may act only for himself or herself: applicants for letters testamentary, letters of administration, determinations of heirship and guardianships of the person or estate must be represented by a licensed attorney because a fiduciary acts for beneficiaries, creditors or wards (Steele v. McDonald); the only pro se probate proceeding is a muniment of title where the applicant is the sole beneficiary and the estate has no debts other than real-estate liens, with all beneficiaries as applicants and testifying, the signed original will, and a perjury warning on no-creditor affidavits; court staff cannot advise.