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A standing order of the 220th Judicial District Court (Bosque, Comanche and Hamilton Counties) restricting public access to the pleadings, orders and documents filed in suits brought by the Department of Family and Protective Services under Chapters 261, 262 and 264 of the Texas Family Code.
Applies to DFPS suits before the 220th District Court in Hamilton County. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
[File stamp: FILED FOR RECORD, Hamilton County, Texas, MAY 31 2024, Sandy Layhew, Clerk 220th District Court] [Letterhead: seal of the State of Texas; Shaun Carpenter, Administrative Judge, 220th Judicial District, Bosque, Comanche & Hamilton Counties, State of Texas, 110 South Main, P. O. Box 529, Meridian, Texas 76665; Linda Meinkowsky, Criminal Court Coordinator, crtadm220@bosquecounty.us, Telephone: 254-435-6626; Deana Gann, Civil Court Coordinator, district220admin@bosquecounty.us, Telephone: 254-233-9878] STANDING ORDER REGARDING PUBLIC ACCESS TO DFPS COURT RECORDS FOR BOSQUE, COMANCHE, AND HAMILTON COUNTIES On the 30th [typed into the blank] day of May, 2024, the Court considered the following and issues findings and orders related to pleadings, orders, and documents filed in a suit brought by the Department of Family and Protective Services, (hereinafter referred to as "DFPS") pursuant to Chapters 261, 262, and 264 of the Texas Family Code. The Court finds that the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) generally requires that states preserve the confidentiality of all child abuse and neglect reports and records to protect the rights of the child and the child's parents or guardians. 42 U.S.C.A. 5106a(b)(2)(B)(viii). The Court finds that CAPTA provides for the use of discretion regarding public access to court proceedings involving child and abuse cases, provided that the State, "at a minimum, ensure(s) the safety and well-being of the child, parent, and families." 42 U.S.C.A. 5106a(b)(2). The Court finds that the plain language of Texas Family Code 261.201 deems DFPS records of alleged and abuse or neglect to be confidential and not subject to public release absent a court order following an in-camera inspection and a finding of necessity. The Court finds that these pleadings, orders, and documents contain sensitive information regarding children who have been or may have been abused or neglected by parties responsible for their care. The Court finds that these pleadings, orders, and documents contain sensitive information regarding family members, specifically regarding the parents of the children who may be alleged perpetrators of abuse or neglect. The Court finds that because of the sensitive information contained within these pleadings, orders, and documents, it is necessary to restrict public access to these pleadings, orders, and documents. The Court finds that restricting public access to these pleadings, orders, and documents would protect the privacy rights of both children and other family members, including the parents of the children. The Court further finds that it has authority to control access to its own records. IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that public access to pleadings, orders, and documents filed in a suit brought by DFPS pursuant to Chapters 261, 262, and 264 of the Texas Family Code are to be restricted and shall be maintained by the District Clerk as such. The Clerk of the Court shall not allow public access to these pleadings, orders, and documents other than to DFPS, the parties, their attorneys, the attorney ad litem and the guardian ad litem unless specifically permitted and ordered by this Court. The Clerk is directed to: a. Submit a copy of this order with the Office of Court Administration's Local Rules, Forms and Standing Orders website; b. Cause a copy of this order to be provided to each attorney designated by this Court as attorney or guardian ad litem for children or parents; and c. Send a copy of this order to the appropriate CASA agency for this Court. SIGNED this 30th [typed into the blank] day of May [typed into the blank], 2024. [signature] SHAUN CARPENTER, ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICT JUDGE
[File stamp: FILED FOR RECORD, Hamilton County, Texas, MAY 31 2024, Sandy Layhew, Clerk 220th District Court] [Letterhead: seal of the State of Texas; Shaun Carpenter, Administrative Judge, 220th Judicial District, Bosque, Comanche & Hamilton Counties, State of Texas, 110 South Main, P. O. Box 529, Meridian, Texas 76665; Linda Meinkowsky, Criminal Court Coordinator, crtadm220@bosquecounty.us, Tele
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-06 from the TOPICs custody scan. Hamilton's copy (doc 1954) is image-only; the identical instrument was read in full from Bosque's text-layer copy (doc 1952). Tri-county 220th District Court order registered by Bosque (1952) and Hamilton (1954); bound per county to that county's 220th District Court row. [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 fbd10b879ffb..., 2 page(s), image-only scan; the OCR layer used as a typing base and corrected word by word from the page) read against the rendered file; verbatim, source typos kept, stamps/signatures bracketed; the earlier abstract replaced by the full instrument; confidence high. benchpath-tx-corpus0920-p12-2026-09-21]
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.
Standing order of the 109th Judicial District Court for every pending or later-filed case in Andrews, Winkler and Crane Counties: any attorney or self-represented litigant who uses any form of artificial intelligence for legal research or drafting in a case must, before using AI-generated information in a court submission or proceeding, sign and submit the court's certification form stating that all language, quotations, sources, citations, arguments and legal analysis created or contributed to by generative AI were verified as accurate by a human through traditional (non-AI) legal sources, and acknowledging responsibility and potential sanctions for their or their co-counsel's failure to comply. Effective immediately; in effect until rescinded or replaced.