Webb County
Fourth Administrative Judicial Region (Region 4) · official region site ✓ · County seat: Laredo
Rules that apply here (county → region → statewide)
Preview of 25 instruments. All 16 county-scoped rules → search all three layers.
Jury Selection Plan, Webb County (District Court Judges' amended plan for selecting jurors by electronic means; signed July 2, 2025; approved by the Commissioners Court July 14, 2025; effective July 2, 2025)
The district judges' 2025 jury plan under Government Code Chapter 62, superseding the 2020 emergency plan: names drawn from the voter registration and DPS license/ID lists (plus volunteers), excluding the age, impairment, non-citizen and felony registers; random electronic selection with the District Clerk in charge; mailed qualification questionnaires and pre-qualified jurors summoned electronically for any court on the judges' instructions and serving interchangeably; an SMS privacy notice; jurors may respond by e-mail, phone or in person; supplemental panels; excuses heard by the court or its designee (the District Clerk and court administrators) except in capital cases, with no economic excuse unless the parties agree or the presiding judge finds good cause; one postponement within six months; annual reconstitution of the list (never beyond two years); and remote participation authorized.
Administrative Order 24-0807-01 — Local Rules and Continuance Policy of Webb County Court at Law No. 2 (adopted August 1, 2024; signed and effective August 7, 2024)
Ten local rules of conduct for County Court at Law No. 2 (read your work critically, cooperate, confer before arguing, work toward final disposition, agreements do not bind the court, virtual appearances are actual appearances, argue to not with the court, closing arguments recite the elements and evidence, requests for relief must be reasonable and supported, court personnel are the court) with a continuance policy: written requests at least 48 hours out, a stated order of preference from agreed written motions down to oral in-court requests, proposed orders with findings, advisories on conflicting settings 48 hours out, continuances generally granted only for lack of service, a first setting or counsel's first appearance (counsel appearing after the second final setting takes the case as is), a fifth dismissal setting after four final settings, complex-case findings under Rule of Judicial Administration 6.1, and jury requests made after pre-trial deemed untimely.
Administrative Order 22-1229-2 — First Order on Rules Governing Court Hearing Participation by Video Conference (Webb County Court at Law No. 2; effective January 1, 2023)
County Court at Law No. 2 allows, but does not require, participation in any hearing by video conference: participants must appear on camera (audio-only appearances are disallowed), counsel must prepare clients and witnesses on the technology or risk waiving their appearances, no one may drive while a case is heard, remote witnesses testify on camera after disclosing who is present and without communicating during testimony, all exhibits are uploaded to Thomson Reuters Case Center before the proceeding, Zoom participants register on Z-connect and log in ten minutes early, the public watches in person or on YouTube, cases are called in-person appearances first, jury trials are in person unless all parties consent in writing, and no one but the court reporter or recorder may record.
Administrative Order 22-1229-1 — First Order on Rules Governing the Procedure for Making a Record of Civil and Criminal Court Proceedings by Electronic Recording (Webb County Court at Law No. 2; effective January 1, 2023)
County Court at Law No. 2 makes its record by electronic audio or audio-visual recording instead of a stenographic record: designated court recorders keep the system running, log every event and exhibit, file exhibits, preserve and restrict access to the original recording, and certify copies; the reporter's record on appeal is the certified recording plus bound exhibits, filed within fifteen days of perfection; each party files with its brief an appendix transcribing the relevant portions (presumed accurate unless objected to), the appellate court may order supplemental appendices, indigent parties get the transcription at county expense, disputes are settled by review or by the trial court, appendix costs are taxed as costs, and all other procedural rules continue to apply.
The Local Rules of the Courts of Webb County, Texas (49th, 111th, 341st and 406th District Courts and County Courts at Law Nos. 1 and 2; adopted September 2010, revised June 5, 2019; re-signed February 2025 and filed March 5, 2025)
The joint local rules of Webb County's four district courts and two county courts at law: time standards, dead weeks and 24-month calendars, the local administrative judge and the clerks' monthly reports; civil filing by random central assignment, the clerks' electronic-transmission procedure, transfers and bench exchange and signature of orders when the presiding judge is unavailable, walk-in uncontested matters on 24 hours' notice, trial settings only by pre-trial guideline order, jury fee 30 days out, announcements, dead weeks, intra-county conflict priorities, preferential settings, no agreed resets without court approval and no continuance after the Thursday before jury selection, dismissal and suspense dockets, certificates of conference in prescribed forms with sanctions, fiats with three proposed dates, motion days, ex parte certificates, attorney authority at conferences, discovery cut-off 30 days before trial, severances, continuances, default and summary judgments, complex-case designation, certificates of progress, joint final pre-trial reports, exhibits and deposition designations, settlements, central jury selection, charges at 8:15 a.m., orders within 14 days; family time standards, the December 2009 standing order, disposition proposals, financial disclosure, child-support and IV-D provisions, standard possession, inventories 30 days before trial, ad litem rotation, mediation; criminal pre-filing documents, the indigent-defense plan, random assignment and re-indictments, the criminal magistrate's powers, arraignment, docket management, pre-trial motion requirements and conference certificates, appearances, bonds, discovery orders, continuances three working days before jury selection, conflicts; central jury management; judicial vacation; attorney appearance, decorum, withdrawal and four weeks' vacation; and adoption, amendment and publication.
Webb County Standing Orders Regarding Children, Property, and Conduct of the Parties (District Courts and County Courts at Law of Webb County; effective August 22, 2018; filed with the District Clerk March 5, 2025)
The mutual standing order attached to every divorce and suit affecting the parent-child relationship filed in Webb County: no removing, disrupting, hiding or disturbing the children; no abusive, threatening or harassing communications or mail diversion; in a divorce, no dissipation, concealment, encumbrance, debt, withdrawals, retirement borrowing, forged endorsements, credit-card cancellations, taking the other's vehicle, changing tax withholding or cutting utilities, no destruction or falsification of records including electronic data, and no insurance changes, with express authorization for ordinary business, attorney's fees, living expenses and authorized withdrawals; the parties bring pay stubs, two years of W-2s and tax returns to the initial hearing; the order is served with the petition, operates as a fourteen-day temporary restraining order and then as a temporary injunction until final order unless contested, yields to protective orders, encourages mediation and does not bar motions for additional relief.
Webb County Juvenile Indigent Defense Plan (Juvenile Board of Judges of Webb County; revisions effective November 2, 2015; approved November 10, 2015)
Webb County's plan for counsel in juvenile cases: detention hearings by the second working day with the Public Defender appointed for detention hearings (private counsel for co-respondents), counsel within a reasonable time before the first detention hearing and, for children not detained, by the fifth working day after service of the petition, motion to modify or transfer hearing; attorney qualifications (Webb County office, State Bar standing, six hours of juvenile CLE a year or board certification, annual practice-time statements), qualification levels for CINS, TYC-eligible delinquency, determinate-sentencing and certification cases and appeals; rotation from Pre-Trial Services' alphabetical wheel with the Public Defender capped at 75% of appointments; removal grounds and procedures before the Juvenile Board; indigence at 125% of the poverty guidelines with liquid assets under $15,000 or special circumstances; the sworn questionnaire; fee schedules for juvenile misdemeanor/felony and MTMD/certification hearings; and attorney-fee vouchers with 45-day payment, 90-day submission and $100 of investigative expense without prior approval.
The Standards and Procedures for the Appointment of Counsel in Felony and Misdemeanor Criminal Cases for Indigent Defendants (Webb County Board of Judges; revisions effective November 2, 2015; re-signed February 2025 and filed March 5, 2025)
Webb County's Fair Defense Act plan, incorporated into the local rules of the district courts and county courts at law: magistration within 48 hours (felony) or 24 hours (misdemeanor) with counsel requests transmitted within 24 hours; the required Article 15.17 advisories; an appointing judge or designee who determines indigence (125% of the federal poverty guidelines, $2,500/$5,000 asset limits, benefit eligibility, custody, or substantial hardship; bail and relatives' resources not considered) and appoints counsel by the end of the next working day; the Public Defender takes 75% of felony and misdemeanor appointments with the rest rotating from Pre-Trial Services' wheel of the next five names; term of appointment through final disposition; annual applications by October 1 with six hours of criminal CLE, murder and capital lists with added qualifications, removal procedures before the board of judges, replacement of counsel, contact visits at the jail, the fee schedule and vouchers within 90 days with excess-fee findings and appeals to the regional presiding judge.
Resolution of the Board of District Judges excepting petitions for expunction, non-disclosure and to seal from mandatory electronic filing (District Courts of Webb County; adopted October 7, 2015)
Petitions for expunction, for an order of non-disclosure and to seal a case are excepted from the requirement that attorneys file civil cases electronically; whether filed pro se or by counsel, they may be filed in person, by hand and on paper.
Webb County Sign Language Interpreter Policy and Procedures for Hearing Impaired Individuals in Civil Judicial Proceedings (all Webb County judicial courts; signed and effective June 4, 2014)
In civil proceedings in every Webb County court a hearing-impaired party or witness (or counsel) requests a sign-language interpreter or other auxiliary aid as early as possible by written motion or on the record, and the judge must then provide one; the court gives primary consideration to the person's choice of aid unless an equally effective alternative exists or the choice would fundamentally alter the proceeding or impose an undue burden; the clerk or a designated court employee secures certified or otherwise qualified interpreters (live or video remote interpreting, the latter to be highly considered for hearings though not always appropriate for jury trials) and keeps a roster; and payment comes from the district or county courts' judicial general accounts of the county budget.
Local Rule/Policy for District Courts on Appointment of Sign Language Interpreters in Criminal Cases (District Courts of Webb County; signed and effective March 19, 2014)
Counsel for a hearing-impaired criminal defendant raises the disability by written motion or on the record, whereupon the judge appoints a certified American Sign Language interpreter (video or other interpretation services are permitted if they let the defendant, counsel and court communicate fully); counsel must give notice by motion or on the record whenever interpreter services will be needed for any setting, and the court schedules settings for when an interpreter is available; a probation officer must tell the court in writing if a hearing impairment affects compliance with probation, and the court holds a hearing to modify conditions or provide alternatives.
Webb County Local Rules of the District Courts and County Courts at Law Concerning the Electronic Filing of Court Documents (adopted August 31, 2005; approved by the Supreme Court of Texas, Misc. Docket No. 05-9198, December 7, 2005)
The 2005 e-filing rules of the Webb County district courts and county courts at law, approved by the Supreme Court under Rule 3a: optional electronic filing and service of non-juvenile civil documents with the district clerk through an electronic filing service provider and TexasOnline (a court may order it for good cause), exclusions for citations, returns, bonds, subpoenas, in camera, sealed and restricted documents, sworn and multi-signature documents filed as scanned images, digital signatures, convenience fees, filing deemed at transmission to the provider (Sunday commencements deemed Monday, tardy receipt within ten days honored), clerk acceptance within one business day, unaltered deadlines, one document per transmission, e-mail addresses on filings, electronic service by agreement or order with three days added, certification of service, electronic orders, free public viewing, and disputes decided by the assigned court.
111th Rules for Lawyers — 111th District Court, Webb County (Judge Monica Z. Notzon presiding; current edition as posted on the Local Rules page)
The 111th District Court's rules for counsel: court begins at 9:00 a.m. unless otherwise ordered; one jury week a month is dedicated to criminal cases; calendar calls (docket control) sit on the morning dockets and do not require attendance when the selected trial dates fall within 180–300 days of the guideline calendar-call date, provided the signed guideline order reaches the court in writing by 5 p.m. the day before (otherwise a personal appearance is required; the pre-trial guideline order and available trial dates are on the court's web page); certificates of conference where appropriate in civil and family cases; discovery-level classification at the first calendar call; two pre-trial settings (the first 60–90 days after calendar call, the final one the Thursday before jury-selection Monday); criminal cases carry arraignment, pretrial, final pre-trial and jury-selection dates; Level 1, 2 and 3 cases tried within 6, 12 and 18 months; divorces heard on the Monday after 61 days from filing (a first appearance becomes a pre-trial if there is no agreement); motions on submission where appropriate; documents file-marked by the District Clerk before signature; settings on the next available date; no resets after an approved pretrial order and trial date except by written continuance; trial notebooks recommended; mediation ordered in all contested cases, with parties or representatives with full authority present at mediations and final pretrials; an entry-of-judgment date within thirty days with one courtesy call; 24 hours' notice to use courtroom electronic equipment; courtesy copies of filed pleadings requested.
What to Do and How to Behave in Court — Webb County guidance for self-represented litigants in family law cases (posted as "How to Conduct Yourself in Family Court")
The county's courtroom-conduct sheet for self-represented family-law litigants: clean, modest clothing (no shorts, t-shirts, work-out clothes, sandals, sunglasses or hats), phones and tablets off, no food, drink or gum, speak clearly and verbally (no nodding), never interrupt, address the judge as Your Honor and others as Mr., Mrs. or Ms., and do not bring children to court.
Standing Discovery Order — 49th District Court, Webb County (Judge Joe Lopez; criminal cases; entered in each case)
The 49th District Court's per-case criminal discovery order for Webb County: fifteen working days before trial the State furnishes its witness list, the defendant's statements and recordings, and permits inspection and copying of seized items, physical evidence, exhibits, demonstrative aids, psychiatric and medical reports, business and government records, warrants and affidavits, lab and scientific results and lineups; discloses deals with cooperating witnesses, the defendant's NCIC/TCIC and county arrest record, Brady material, impeaching convictions and extraneous conduct, and transcribes grand jury testimony; both sides disclose expert witnesses twenty working days before trial; work product and witness statements are excluded until tendered at trial; compliance occurs in the State's presence at defense cost, both sides have a continuing duty to disclose, and further discovery requires a written motion under Art. 28.01.
Order for Application for and Refusal of Title IV-D Child Support Services, adopting Local Rule 4.15 for Webb County (District Courts of Webb County; signed April 6, 2006; approved by the Presiding Judge of the Fourth Administrative Judicial Region May 17, 2006)
Every final order of the Webb County district courts that first orders a party to pay child support is deemed an application for Title IV-D child support services from the Office of the Attorney General under Family Code Chapter 231; an obligee entitled to services may decline them by filing a written Refusal of IV-D Child Support Services with the Attorney General, without prejudice to a later written application.
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.