Justice Of The Peace · Justice of the Peace Precinct 1
What applies in this courtroom
38 verified requirements may apply in this courtroom, by layer: 15 published by Judge Vada (Diane) Dupnik · 10 county-wide · 2 region-wide · 11 statewide — with 9 rule deadlines across those layers. Only the judge's own rules are specific to this courtroom; the other layers apply by court, county and state scope, and a court- or case-specific order can displace them.
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Justice of the Peace — Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Aransas County
Appeals from this courtroom go to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals.
● LiveThat court's published bench (6): Clarissa Silva, Jaime E. Tijerina, Jenny Cron, Jon West, Lionel Aron Peña Jr., Ysmael D. Fonseca
County-to-district assignment per Tex. Gov't Code sec. 22.201(n), live-fetched registry.
15 verified rules specific to this judge's division, grouped by requirement category. 38 total requirements apply in this courtroom across all layers — the Full Premium Report assembles the complete stack.
No judge-level deadline on record runs shorter than a statewide deadline with the same trigger. The sentinel compares quoted timing across every published rule scoped to this judge on each visit — a clean result today is re-earned tomorrow.
Clerks may process a driving-safety-course request at the window when it is made by the citation's appearance date (mailbox rule for mail), with a signed Art. 45.0511(c)(3) eligibility affidavit, proof of insurance conforming to Standing Order No. 6, a valid Texas license or permit and the fee paid instanter; a late request adds $75 under Art. 45.0511(d). Dismissal follows on a signed "court copy" certificate of timely completion with a certified DPS driving record showing no course dismissal in the preceding twelve months; non-completion brings a show-cause summons and, on non-appearance, a final judgment (no time-payment fee before the 31st day), and a certificate earned after the citation but before the grant is accepted.
Under the State's standing motion to dismiss, a fail-to-display-driver's-license charge (Transportation Code § 521.025) is dismissed when the defendant shows a clerk a valid Texas license issued before the offense and appropriate for the vehicle; the clerk keeps a copy in the file and no dismissal fee is charged.
A defendant or attorney who appears at the clerk's window before pending-warrant status gets a court setting without an appearance bond unless there was a prior bond default; a defendant who misses a properly noticed setting must post an appearance bond (cash after a judgment nisi) to be reset. Motions for continuance must be written and filed three calendar days before the setting; one timely, noticed continuance is available without the other side's agreement or a bond, window requests must carry a proposed order, and further continuances need the court's approval.
Courtroom attire and conduct rules for every proceeding of the Precinct 1 justice court: no shorts, tank tops, offensive clothing, dirty or immodest dress or hats (medical and religious exceptions), business attire for attorneys; self-represented litigants must be prepared because the court cannot assist them; be on time (the courtroom opens 15 minutes before docket call), address the court as Judge or Your Honor, no first names, reading, talking over others, offensive language, wandering, approaching the bench or clerk without permission, food, drink or phone use; rise for the judge. Violations may be punished as contempt by a $100 fine or up to three days in jail.
Jail-time credit is considered only on a written Motion for Time Served from the defendant or counsel with proof of incarceration attached, and is granted only for custody under a valid warrant or capias issued by the Precinct 1 justice court before the incarceration; every time-served motion and order a judge considers or signs is retained and transmitted to the justice of the peace for the case file.
The chief clerk reviews requests for exemption from jury service and claims of ineligibility or disqualification, and the court's designee discharges or postpones a prospective juror when the court considers the excuse sufficient and the juror submits a statement of the ground.
Clerks may accept fine and fee payments at the window under Art. 27.14; in an unadjudicated case a fine or a driving-safety-course or deferred fee is accepted only from the defendant or counsel after a signed written plea and waiver of rights, which goes to the judge for acceptance; the payer's identity is verified and recorded and, where practicable, imaged.
No attorney of record withdraws without a motion and an order granting leave; a withdrawal at the defendant's request or by agreement carries the defendant's written consent or a substituting lawyer's certificate, otherwise the motion is mailed certified and first-class to the defendant with notice of a presentation date at least ten days out and of the right to object in writing; no motion within twenty days of trial or so as to delay it, and after leave the attorney notifies the defendant by mail of settings and the right to other counsel, with notice to the State and the clerk.
All parties are bound by Article 39.14: on a timely written request from represented defendants the State produces offense reports, statements and material tangible evidence at least 30 days before trial (or as soon as practicable), may withhold internal communications and partial items subject to a hearing, self-represented defendants may inspect but not duplicate and must request video review 30 days before trial, discoverable items stay within the defense's entrusted and expanded circles with identifiers redacted, exculpatory material is disclosed, disclosures are recorded and acknowledged before a plea or trial, the duty to disclose continues, and discovery costs may be assessed under Government Code Chapter 552.
Before a failure-to-appear warrant issues, the clerk mails the defendant, the day after the missed initial setting, a notice of a new date within 30 days with the court's name and location and the required paragraphs on payment options and on the consequences of a further non-appearance (warrant, DPS notice affecting license and registration renewal, added costs). A defendant who then appears to resolve the warrant is set on the FTA docket, a written request earns an alternative date within 21 days, and a voluntary appearance with a good-faith effort (a plea with a bond, a financial questionnaire, a payment date or plan, or a promise to appear) recalls the warrant.
Before a capias pro fine issues for an unsatisfied judgment, the clerk mails a notice of a date within 21 days with the court's name and location and the required paragraphs on payment options and on the consequences of non-appearance; a defendant who appears before execution and resolves the amount (payment in full now or by a date, an installment plan under Standing Order No. 20, a long-form financial questionnaire with a promise to appear at the indigency hearing docket) completes the questionnaire, and once the contact information is verified the capias is recalled; refusal to complete it means the capias is executed.
Clerks may process deferred-disposition requests at the window when the standard conditions are met (full payment of costs and the special expense fee, no deferred dismissal within twelve months, no probation elsewhere), with added conditions for moving violations (valid license; drivers under 25 take a driving safety course) and exclusions (commercial licenses, work zones with workers present, accidents, school buses, crossing guards, speeding 25 mph over or above 80 mph, outstanding warrants) and for alcohol, tobacco, assault and theft complaints; deferral periods are 90 days (180 days for no-insurance cases, with proof maintained throughout), driving-while-license-invalid needs a valid or eligible license, and a request made after the appearance date adds $75 or the balance of the fine to the special expense fee.
Clerks may process for dismissal, on proof of compliance, expired registration, expired driver's license, failure to change the address or name on a license, and license-restriction violations: a $20 fee ($10 for a medically corrected restriction) plus the tax assessor's stamped renewal receipt and penalty-fee proof, the DPS temporary license, or the corrected license, with compliance within 20 working days of the offense or first appearance; non-conforming proof goes on the No Contest docket at the defendant's request.
Before the first appearance on a no-insurance citation a clerk may accept, for dismissal, a copy of the motor-vehicle liability policy or an insurance binder meeting Chapter 601 (an authorized insurer's owner's or operator's policy written for the named insured at the statutory minimums); premium notices, receipts and handwritten documents are not proof; fleet policies need indicia of authorization; proof is verified before dismissal, disputes go to hearing, unverifiable proof on a warrant case requires a personal appearance bond equal to the window fine and fees, and license status is not considered.
A defendant with an outstanding warrant who appears voluntarily is arrested unless they make a good-faith effort to resolve it under Standing Order No. 31; cash bonds may be posted by cash, cashier's check, money order or card (no personal checks), a personal bond is accepted after a financial questionnaire, warrants are recalled on bond or payment, appearance bonds must be signed by the principal (attorney bonds with bar number after a notice of appearance), no bond is required before the court signs a warrant, and a cash bond is required after a judgment nisi. A defendant with a capias pro fine is arrested unless they resolve the amount under Standing Order No. 32; after a verified questionnaire the capias is recalled and a show-cause hearing set, and refusal to complete it means the capias is executed.
No judge-scoped deadlines on this tab. Deadlines are extracted only when the source rule text states them — we never infer or calculate dates the rule does not explicitly contain. 9 rule deadlines apply in this courtroom across all layers — assembled with citations in the Full Premium Report.
Timing shown here is quoted from the rule text. Compute your actual date against the court's calendar and the rule itself — not legal advice.
No verified ruling summary yet. BenchPath generates ruling summaries from opinion and docket corpora (CourtListener where covered) and publishes them only after human review — fabricated judicial analytics are exactly what this platform refuses to ship.
The attributed-opinion corpus covers Florida's and California's appellate decisions today; a Texas opinion corpus is a separate build. Absence here is a coverage statement, never evidence about this judge.
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last checked October 24, 2026
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Justice of the Peace — Justice of the Peace Precinct 1, Aransas Countycurrent
date not recorded — present
assignment source →No source changes detected for this judge yet — when the underlying court pages move, it shows up here first.