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The Business Court's administrative rules (eff. July 1, 2026, adopted by all ten judges under Gov't Code §§ 25A.005, 25A.020(b) and TRJA 7 and 10): a three-month ruling standard for matters under advisement; reassignment and consolidation mechanics (severed cases stay with the severing judge; substantially related cases may be consolidated before the first-filed judge by the administrative presiding judge or by consent; relief premised on a prior Business Court judgment returns to its rendering judge; APJ docket-equalization reassignments); quarterly docket-equalization orders assigning a confidential, randomly sequenced number of next-filed cases (TRO cases excluded) to judges of other divisions who sit as judges of the originating division; the court calendar (state/national holidays, county closures per division, no settings during the Texas Center for the Judiciary annual conference week); visiting judges (§ 25A.014, TRJA 8) including APJ-requested coverage for absences beyond ten consecutive court business days; the emergency-matter referral chain (same-division judge first, then an APJ-designated judge); budget submissions through the APJ; the administrative-presiding-judge structure (majority election at the annual meeting by September 15 of even-numbered years for two-year terms, a pro tempore, § 25A.017(b) duties, delegation and committees, annual meeting the first Tuesday after Labor Day with monthly meetings); and rule-adoption mechanics (majority vote or 30-day no-objection circulation for these administrative rules; judge- and division-level local rules and guidelines under § 25A.020(b) and TRJA 7.2(f)(5) with division-uniform options; TRJA 10(a) publication on the OCA and clerk websites; a TRJA 7.1 confidentiality policy binding all court staff).
Texas > the Business Court (statewide) — court administration across all divisions, including the First Business Court Division. Adopted effective July 1, 2026 by the ten Business Court judges; Hon. Jerry D. Bullard signs as Administrative Presiding Judge.
AUTHORITY (Rule 1): promulgated "pursuant to its inherent power to control and guide the disposition of cases under Sections 25A.005 and 25A.020(b) of the Texas Government Code… and under Rules 7 and 10 of the Texas Rules of Judicial Administration." TIME STANDARDS (Rule 2): "In addition to the time standards set forth in TRJA Rules 6.1 and 7.2, any matter taken under advisement will be ruled upon within three months of the date of the hearing or submission." DOCKET MANAGEMENT (Rule 3): severed cases remain with the same judge; "If two or more cases are substantially related and involve substantially the same parties, the Business Court administrative presiding judge may reassign any later-filed case to the judge hearing the first-filed case" (or the later-filed judge may so order with the first judge's consent); relief based on a prior Business Court judgment "should be reassigned to the active judge, if any, who rendered" it; APJ reassignment for docket equalization or the fair and efficient administration of justice; consolidation only by the judge hearing the cases; clerk reassignment per adopted policy. DOCKET EQUALIZATION (3.2): quarterly administrative orders may assign "a specified number of the cases next filed in one or more Divisions… exclusive of cases in which a temporary restraining order is requested" to identified judges of other divisions "who will sit as judges of the originating Division for purposes of that case," with e-served notice on filing; "The sequence for reassignment… shall be randomly generated and shall remain confidential." HOLDING COURT (Rule 4): state and national holidays (Gov't Code § 662.003(a)–(c)); each division may close with its counties' scheduled closures; "no hearings or trials will be set during the week of the Annual Judicial Education Conference." Visiting judges per § 25A.014 and TRJA 8 (see § 25A.009(f)); for absences "more than ten consecutive court business days," the APJ may request a visiting judge to administer the docket. EMERGENCY MATTERS: referred "first… to the other Business Court judge within the same Division," then to any judge the APJ (or pro tempore, or the sitting judge) refers. GOVERNANCE (Rules 5–6): budget requests through the APJ to OCA; the judges elect the APJ and pro tempore by majority at the annual meeting "no later than September 15th of each even-numbered year" for two-year terms (§ 25A.009 vacancy mechanics); § 25A.017(b) duties with delegation and committees; annual meeting normally the first Tuesday after Labor Day with monthly meetings thereafter. RULES AND POLICIES (Rule 7): these administrative rules amend by majority vote at a regular meeting, or without a vote when the APJ circulates the change and receives no objection within 30 days; "The Business Court, and each of its judges, may establish… local rules and guidelines in accordance with Section 25A.020(b)… and TRJA Rule 7.2(f)(5). Judges within the same Division may elect to adopt uniform local rules"; publication per TRJA 10(a) on the OCA website and the Business Court Clerk's website; a TRJA 7.1 confidentiality policy binds every employee, clerk, intern, and staff member in writing.
Reviewer note: Text-layer signed instrument (7 pages, sha b9907004…, 322,356 B) fetched from the court's Practice Before the Court page 2026-08-29; operative provisions quoted verbatim (the header block carries the same glyph-substitution artifacts as the local rules — decoded against context). Composed benchpath-ajr1-p8.
Division XI: information forms for data processing (Rule 11.2); required action - action taken on all calendared cases and a future date always set (Rule 11.19); and pro tem judges - an attorney named as a plaintiff in a civil or small claims case may not sit as a judge pro-tem during the case or within six months following its resolution, nor one named as a defendant in two or more such cases (Rule 11.22). Rules 11.1, 11.3 to 11.5, 11.7 to 11.18, 11.20 and 11.21 are repealed, and Rule 11.6 (voluntary arbitration; see Local Rule 10.2) was repealed and renumbered.
Duval County's indigent-defense and magistration rules under the Texas Fair Defense Act (S.B. 7): who may be booked into the county jail and on what paper; arrest-case numbering; presentment to a magistrate within 48 hours (art. 15.16); the magistrate's warnings, counsel inquiry, interpreter duty, indigence determination and appointment of counsel within 24 hours of a request; the alternative appointment plan under art. 26.04(g)-(h) with annual applications, seven attorney categories (capital, first and second degree, third degree/state jail/misdemeanor, competency, appeals, post-conviction, extradition), CLE and experience standards, random rotation within each category, written acceptance within 48 hours, first contact by the end of the next working day, replacement and suspension of counsel, fee applications within five days of completing services and the compensation attachment ($500 pleas; $175/$150 hourly; $1,400 per jury-trial day; appellate caps); bail schedules by offense class with a personal bond office (fee $20 or 3%), pre-trial supervision and revocation hearings within two working days; arraignment settings and notice; repeal of conflicting rules.