Order Equalizing Caseloads and Dividing the Docket (effective January 1, 2026)

High confidence· verified August 24, 2026Local RulesBrazoria County Dist. Courts, Order Equalizing Caseloads and Dividing the Docket (TOPICs reg. doc. 2685) (eff. Jan. 1, 2026), as amended by the Order Transferring Cases to New District Court (TOPICs reg. doc. 2861) (Mar. 9, 2026)

Summary

The current district-court docket-division order (signed December 2, 2025; effective January 1, 2026): which district court hears which case classes in Brazoria County. AMENDED for the new 490th District Court by the March 9, 2026 transfer order (docket effective September 1, 2026).

Applies to

Texas > Brazoria County > District Courts (149th, 239th, 300th, 412th, 461st; 490th effective Sept. 1, 2026)

Requirement

Signed 12/2/2025 by all five district judges, effective 1/1/2026, superseding the 7/10/2025 First Amended order (chain: 1977 original, amended 12/8/2023, 12/10/2024, 7/10/2025). Division highlights, verbatim from the vision-read instrument: family cases are divided "45% to the 300th District Court and 55% to the 461st District Court"; all cases in which the Department of Family and Protective Services seeks conservatorship are assigned to the 300th; tax cases are assigned to the 239th; inmate civil cases and the TDCJ docket are assigned to the 412th; all other civil cases are divided pro rata among the 149th, 239th and 412th; felony cases are divided 20% to each of the five district courts; capital murder cases are assigned by the Presiding (Local Administrative) Judge and murder cases rotate among the courts; grand juries are empaneled on an alternating schedule; transfers between courts require the permission of both judges; and jury panels are drawn from central jury pools. AMENDMENT: the Order Transferring Cases to New District Court (signed 3/9/2026, TOPICs doc. 2861, in custody) adds the 490th District Court — an equal share of civil (excluding family/tax/inmate) and criminal cases transfers effective September 1, 2026, and the 490th enters the murder and capital-murder rotation on that date.

Source of truth

Official source: TOPICs — Texas local rules registry (topics.txcourts.gov)
Source health: Healthy · checked October 24, 2026
Effective date: January 1, 2026
Last verified: August 24, 2026benchpath-ajr11-p8-2026-08-24

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