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An administrative order of the Hays County Courts at Law requiring the sealing of civil nondisclosure case files upon the granting of a nondisclosure petition, so that the existence of the sealed criminal case is not revealed, under Chapter 411 of the Texas Government Code.
Applies to civil nondisclosure proceedings before the Hays County Courts at Law. Procedural information only; not legal advice.
[Seal: Hays County, State of Texas] O-01-003 [Faint file stamp: FILED, 2026 JAN 13 PM 1:30, with the clerk's signature] In the County Courts at Law of Hays County, Texas ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER REGARDING SEALING OF NONDISCLOSURE PROCEEDINGS To ensure the effective implementation of nondisclosure orders and to preserve the intent of the applicable statutes, the County Courts at Law of Hays County adopt the following procedures that shall apply in all civil nondisclosure proceedings in the Courts. The Courts recognize that the purpose of an order of nondisclosure under Texas Government Code, Chapter 411, is to protect individuals from the harmful dissemination of certain criminal history information. The Courts further find that leaving a separate civil case file related to a nondisclosure petition unsecured and publicly accessible undermines that purpose by revealing the existence of a criminal case that has been sealed. THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT: 1. Sealing of Civil Nondisclosure Files. Upon a Court's granting of a petition for nondisclosure, the Clerk of the Court shall seal not only the records of the underlying criminal case but also the civil nondisclosure proceedings itself. 2. Access Restrictions. Once sealed, the Clerk shall not make the case file, docket entries, and related records of the nondisclosure proceeding available for public inspection but shall keep those items accessible to the Court, the Clerk, and other entities expressly authorized by the applicable statute. 3. Filing Procedures. Petitioners for nondisclosures shall continue to file their petitions as civil cases. However, upon the Court's signing an order granting nondisclosure, the Clerk shall immediately seal the civil case file in the same manner as the underlying criminal case. 4. Notice. The Clerk shall provide a copy of this Administrative Order to all court staff and ensure that filing and case management systems reflect these procedures. THIS HAYS COUNTY ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER REGARDING SEALING OF NONDISCLOSURE PROCEEDINGS SHALL BECOME EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY UPON PUBLICATION ON THE OFFICE OF COURT ADMINISTRATION'S WEBSITE. [signature] Judge Jimmy Alan Hall, County Court at Law No. 1, Hays County, Texas [signature] Judge Chris Johnson, County Court at Law No. 2, Hays County, Texas [signature] Judge Elaine S. Brown, County Court at Law No. 3, Hays County, Texas [Running footer: O-01-003 — Page 1 of 2 / Page 2 of 2]
[Seal: Hays County, State of Texas] O-01-003 [Faint file stamp: FILED, 2026 JAN 13 PM 1:30, with the clerk's signature] In the County Courts at Law of Hays County, Texas ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER REGARDING SEALING OF NONDISCLOSURE PROCEEDINGS To ensure the effective implementation of nondisclosure orders and to preserve the intent of the applicable statutes, the County Courts at Law of Hays County adop
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-06 from the TOPICs custody scan (text layer read). Bound to Hays County. [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 b49d3f831191..., 2 page(s), partly scanned file; native pages taken from the text layer, scanned pages typed from the render) 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]
9 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-10.
6 verbatim requirements from 4th Circuit Administrative Order 1997-13.