Victoria County
Fourth Administrative Judicial Region (Region 4) · official region site ✓ · County seat: Victoria
Rules that apply here (county → region → statewide)
Preview of 25 instruments. All 16 county-scoped rules → search all three layers.
Standing Order Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence (District Courts of Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Refugio and Victoria Counties; Victoria County edition)
Every self-represented litigant and attorney who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research, drafting or analysis in a case before the district courts of the six counties must, before using AI-generated information in a submission or proceeding, sign and file the attached certification (Exhibit A) that all AI-created or AI-contributed language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis were verified as accurate by a human being through traditional non-AI legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for any failure to comply.
Standing Order Regarding Cell Phones, Electronic Devices and Electronic Recording Devices (District Courts of Calhoun, DeWitt, Goliad, Jackson, Refugio and Victoria Counties; Victoria County edition)
Cell phones and electronic devices may be brought into district courtrooms subject to courthouse security policies but must be turned off inside any courtroom; photographing, recording, posting, broadcasting or televising any person, object, document or proceeding in a courtroom (in person, on Zoom or YouTube, or by any other means) is prohibited unless the Court authorizes it, on pain of removal, temporary forfeiture of the device, and fines up to $500 or up to six months' jail for contempt; the device-use restrictions do not apply to attorneys and their staff, but the recording prohibition does.
Certification Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence — the required form under the six-county AI Standing Order (Victoria County)
The certification that the six-county Standing Order Regarding Use of Artificial Intelligence requires every attorney or self-represented litigant to sign and submit before using AI-generated information in a submission or proceeding: that the signer has reviewed and will comply with the order, that all AI-created or AI-contributed content was independently verified through traditional non-AI legal sources by a human being, and that the signer remains personally responsible and subject to sanctions or contempt for non-compliance.
Instructions to Pro Se Litigants in Divorce Cases (24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts; Victoria County; signed 2025, filed August 7, 2025)
The district judges' 2025 instructions to self-represented divorce litigants in Victoria County: pleadings and decrees must be neat, fully completed one-sided 8½×11 forms with inapplicable provisions removed; vehicles and real estate must be described by identifier and legal description; decrees with children must provide conservatorship, a possession schedule, health insurance and guideline child support (which cannot be waived without the Court's rare approval), with certified copies of any prior paternity or possession orders presented at the final hearing; the completed final decree must be submitted when the docket is called; settings are obtained from the court coordinator only after service and the answer date (or an answer or waiver) — the Court never sets cases on its own and unfinished cases go to the dismissal docket; the District Clerk gives a copy to every pro se filer. Court staff cannot give legal advice.
Standing Protective Order for DFPS Records in Criminal Cases, with Attachment A Protective Order (District Courts of Victoria County)
In criminal cases in which defense counsel (Crossroads Defenders) subpoenas records of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, DFPS is ordered to release its records, including audio and video, without redaction by the agreed date, subject to the incorporated Attachment A protective order: Protected Documents may be disclosed only to counsel of record, their necessary staff, experts and investigators, and the Court; may be used solely for the prosecution or defense of the case; must be returned or destroyed within 20 days (or destroyed within 7 days under documented procedures) after the case ends; and remain confidential thereafter under the Court's continuing jurisdiction.
Administrative Order — Procedure for Obtaining Probate/Guardianship Hearings in Victoria County Courts at Law No. 1 and No. 2 (signed November 14, 2024)
To obtain a probate or guardianship hearing in the Victoria County Courts at Law: get the probate docket schedule from the Court Coordinator, e-file an Order Setting Hearing (specific to the application or motion, with current contact information for all parties, and e-mail addresses for any Zoom participant), Zoom only for uncontested matters, special settings for hearings over thirty minutes, the signed order serves as the only notice of hearing, and cancellations require Court approval with a signed agreement of all parties in contested matters.
Standing Order Regarding Public Access to DFPS Court Records (24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts; Victoria County)
Public access to pleadings, orders and documents filed in suits brought by the Department of Family and Protective Services under Chapters 261, 262 and 264 of the Texas Family Code is restricted; the District Clerks of the six counties may release them only to DFPS, the parties, their attorneys, the attorney ad litem and the guardian ad litem unless the Court specifically permits access for good cause shown.
Joint Standing Order Exempting Tax Suits from Mandatory Disclosures under Rule 194 (24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts; Victoria County)
Parties in tax lawsuits filed under Texas Tax Code Chapters 31-34 in the 24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts are exempt from the mandatory initial-disclosure requirements of Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 194, but must still timely respond to party-initiated discovery requests.
Standing Order Requiring a Parent Education and Stabilization Course in Suits Affecting the Parent-Child Relationship (District Courts of Victoria County)
In every suit affecting the parent-child relationship (original or modification) filed on or after September 1, 2003, the parties must complete a Parent Education and Stabilization Course meeting Texas Family Code § 105.009 and file proof before the final hearing, with six enumerated exceptions; contested SAPCR issues are heard only on written request for the Contested SAPCR Docket, set on 45 days' notice.
Civil and Probate E-Filing Requirements — Victoria County Courts at Law (County Clerk requirements under the Supreme Court e-filing mandate; updated October 26, 2016)
Requirements for e-filing civil and probate documents in the Victoria County Courts at Law (mandatory since July 1, 2015): text-searchable, unlocked PDFs with complete signature-block contact information, 8.5×11 pages, 14-point minimum font, bookmarked exhibits, a cover letter and civil case information sheet with each new-case envelope, every pleading, notice of hearing and proposed order filed as its own lead document (orders under the "Proposed Order" code), accurate party data in the portal, the closest filing code with a description, fee codes matched to the document, the occupational-license filing sequence, and the grounds on which filings are rejected or returned for correction.
Standing Order Referring Title IV-D Matters to the Associate Judge for Title IV-D Cases (24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts; Victoria County)
Every aspect of a Title 5 or Chapter 45 Texas Family Code case, including ancillary matters, in which the Title IV-D agency is the moving party is referred to the Associate Judge for Title IV-D Cases appointed to serve the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region.
Order Amending Local Rules for the 24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts — Rules 1.14 and 1.15, Requests for Settings (Victoria County edition; signed December 31, 2014)
Local Rules 1.14 and 1.15 of the 24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts are amended so that every request for a motion hearing, non-jury trial or jury trial goes to the Court Coordinator by e-mail or in writing with a copy to all counsel and a certification that the requesting attorney conferred with every party and that the date is agreed — or, if not agreed, that a good-faith effort to agree failed, in which case the Court sets a telephonic or in-chambers docket control conference to fix the date; the rules bind self-represented litigants directly. Effective immediately on signing, December 31, 2014.
Standing Order on Summary-Judgment Setting Notices: 15-Minute Argument Limit per Side (District Courts of Victoria County)
By standing order of the Local Administrative Judge, every setting notice (or order setting hearing) on a motion for summary judgment must state that argument on the motion is limited to 15 minutes per side.
Rules of Administration of the Justice Courts of Victoria County (adopted December 29, 2011 under Gov't Code § 27.061; effective January 1, 2012)
The six rules of administration adopted by a majority of Victoria County's justices of the peace under Government Code § 27.061: the nearest justice temporarily serves a vacant or absent precinct; justices may exchange benches or hear each other's cases on request without an order; any justice may sign citations, warrants, writs and process for an absent justice; the rules are kept at each office and posted on the county website; effective January 1, 2012; amendable by majority vote.
Rules of Court of the 24th, 135th, 267th and 377th District Courts (Victoria County edition; promulgated June 11, 1990, Rules 1.14 and 1.15 as amended December 31, 2014)
The local rules of the district courts serving Victoria County (24th, 135th and 267th Judicial Districts, promulgated jointly with the 377th of Victoria County under Rule 3a): case assignment and bench exchange, settings (as amended in 2014 to require conferral and certification of agreed or non-agreed dates through the Court Coordinator), preferential settings, docket calls, dismissal and suspense dockets, pre-trial and scheduling conferences and sanctions for non-compliance, discovery, settlements, conflicting engagements, witnesses and exhibits, voir dire, jury charges and motions in limine, family-law preparation requirements, default and liquidated claims, a 1990 appointed-counsel fee schedule, jury management, attorney vacations, lead counsel, withdrawal, courtroom decorum and local administration.
County Court at Law No. 2 — Court Rules for Remote Hearings (Zoom; Victoria County)
Victoria County Court at Law No. 2 conducts hearings by Zoom when the parties have the technology: the court reporter or coordinator e-mails the link; telephone-only participants must coordinate with the court reporter the day before; e-mail addresses must reach the reporter and coordinator by 4 p.m. the day before; the court reporter hosts every hearing; proceedings stream publicly on YouTube and recording is strictly prohibited.
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.