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The joint exhibits order applying to ALL criminal and civil cases in both courts: uniform sequential numbering (Exhibit 1; subparts 1-A / 1-A1; redacted exhibits paired with an "R" original), label placement rules, 8.5×11 documents unless originals or unreasonable, per-image numbering for multi-photo media; digital audio/video in appellate-accepted formats per the Uniform Format Manual (audio ≤100 MB and video ≤5 GB per file, split into labeled subparts if larger; the enumerated accepted extensions with sponsoring-party conversion duty and appeal re-supply duty); ONLY offered files on tendered media; a duty to ensure digital evidence can be published in the courtroom BEFORE trial; physical-exhibit labeling incl. string tags and envelopes with advance arrangement for bulky items and biohazard/controlled-substance alerts; a FIREARMS section (unloaded, action open, no magazines, locking safety cord, physically incapacitated; no pointing or trigger-well contact; prior approval for function demonstrations; firearm-plus-ammunition never to a witness absent expert status and approval, and never to the jury during deliberations); reporter custody of admitted exhibits; and exclusion as the enforcement mechanism.
Texas > Fannin County > the 336th District Court and County Court at Law — all criminal and civil cases. So ordered Dec. 18, 2019 by Judges Laurine J. Blake and Charles Butler; the order runs with the courts. Note the county-specific video cap: 5 GB per file (Kaufman's parallel order uses 2 GB).
SCOPE: "THIS ORDER IS A STANDING ORDER OF THE 336TH DISTRICT COURT AND COUNTY COURT AT LAW OF FANNIN COUNTY, TEXAS, AND APPLIES TO ALL CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASES." I. UNIFORM LABELING: exhibits sequentially numbered from "Exhibit 1"; letters only for subparts (1-A, 1-B; multiple subparts 1-A1, 1-A2); a redacted exhibit keeps the exhibit number with the unredacted original labeled the same number "plus 'R' for Record"; labels legible. II. DOCUMENTS AND PHOTOS: labels at the lower right corner unless they would obscure material content (back of the exhibit if needed); 8.5×11 format unless the original cannot reasonably be reproduced or the format would be insufficient (maps, overhead views, diagrams); electronically submitted multi-picture media get one exhibit number per image as subparts. III. DIGITAL AUDIO/VIDEO: "The Court does not provide computers or devices to litigants." All A/V exhibits in a size and format accepted by the Court of Appeals per the Uniform Format Manual for Texas Reporters' Records (Misc. Docket Nos. 10-9077/10-9113); "Audio exhibits may not exceed 100 MB in any single file. Video files may not exceed 5 GB in any single file" — larger files divided into labeled subparts; accepted formats at signing: .avi, .wmv, .wav, .mpg, .mid, .asf, .mpeg, .mp1, .mp2, .mp3, .mp4, .m4v, .ogg, .oga, .ogv, .webm — non-conforming exhibits converted by the sponsoring party, who must know the Court of Appeals' formats; on appeal, an unopenable exhibit is re-supplied by the sponsoring party in an acceptable format. "[O]nly audio or video files offered as an exhibit should be included on the offered media device"; parties offering digital evidence "shall ensure that the evidence can be published for the jury or the Court in the courtroom prior to trial." IV. OTHER PHYSICAL EXHIBITS: visible labels; string tags where affixing is impossible; small items in labeled envelopes; advance arrangement for large or bulky objects; biohazard or controlled/illegal-substance exhibits flagged to the Court before use. V. FIREARMS/WEAPONS: "All firearms used as exhibits shall be unloaded with the cylinder or action open, no magazines inserted, and a locking, firearm safety cord installed" — physically incapacitated and harmless; no pointing at any person, no finger in the trigger well; prior Court approval for function/handling demonstrations; "A firearm together with ammunition shall never be given to a witness during testimony unless prior Court approval has been obtained and the witness is an expert witness… The jury shall not have access to firearm exhibits together with ammunition exhibits during jury deliberations." VI. MISC: parties bear care, custody, and control of their exhibits until admission; admitted exhibits secured by the court reporter; no removal from the courtroom without approval; labels affixed before offering. VII. ENFORCEMENT: non-conforming exhibits "are subject to exclusion until the exhibit is properly labeled, marked, in the appropriate format, and made safe, if applicable."
Reviewer note: Image-only signed scan read page-by-page through the vision lane (4 pages); format caps, extension list, firearms protocol, and enforcement quoted verbatim. Composed benchpath-ajr1-p7.
Tenth (10th) Court of Appeals — Standing Order No. 1, as registered in the statewide TOPICs local-rules registry (posted 01/01/2023). The operative requirements are quoted verbatim; the registered document is the controlling text.
Tenth (10th) Court of Appeals — Standing Order No. 2, as registered in the statewide TOPICs local-rules registry (posted 01/01/2023). The operative requirements are quoted verbatim; the registered document is the controlling text.