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Joint rules of the three district courts and two county courts at law of Henderson County for cases filed with the District Clerk. Family cases are filed only with the District Clerk (not the County Clerk) and assigned by lot: 40% to the 173rd, 10% to the 3rd, 25% to the County Court at Law and 25% to County Court at Law 2, with FAM/JUV cause numbers. Non-family, non-criminal-related civil cases: 20% to the 3rd and 80% to the 173rd, with CV/TAX cause numbers; re-filed cases return to the original court; TRO requests go to the judge of the court where the case is or will be filed; transfers between district courts, hearings by other district judges, bills of review, and protective-order applications are addressed. Criminal and criminal-related civil cases: grand jury terms rotate between the 392nd (two consecutive six-month terms) and the 3rd (one); cases are assigned 20% to the 3rd and 80% to the 392nd, murder and capital murder cases on a rolling 4-to-1 rotation by date of offense, with CR/CRC cause numbers; seizure, habeas corpus, protective-order and re-filed or re-indicted cases follow the related case. Table 1 shows the cause-number format.
Texas > Tenth Administrative Judicial Region > Henderson County > the 3rd, 173rd and 392nd District Courts, the County Court at Law and County Court at Law No. 2. Governs the allocation, docketing and numbering of family, civil, criminal and criminal-related civil cases filed with the Henderson County District Clerk.
AMENDED RULES FOR ADMINISTRATION OF CASES IN THE DISTRICT COURTS AND COUNTY COURTS AT LAW OF HENDERSON COUNTY, TEXAS Three District Courts have jurisdiction in Henderson County, Texas; to wit: 3rd Judicial District 173rd Judicial District 392nd Judicial District Two County Courts at Law have jurisdiction in Henderson County, Texas; to wit: County Court at Law County Court at Law 2 These Rules are promulgated jointly by the judges of the District and County Courts at Law of Henderson County, Texas to govern the administration and allocation of cases filed with the District Clerk. Rule three has been promulgated to comply with Tex. H.B. 16, 89th Leg., 2d C.S. (2025). RULE 1- FAMILY CASES FILED WITH THE DISTRICT CLERK A. Docketing and Assignment of Filed Cases: All family cases filed in Henderson County shall be filed with the District Clerk. Family cases shall NOT be filed with the County Clerk. The District Clerk shall assign and docket these cases among the 173rd District Court, 3rd District Court, County Court at Law, and County Court at Law 2, in accordance with the procedures set forth below: 1) Assignment by Ratio: The District Clerk shall assign family cases by lot in accordance with the following ratio: a) Forty percent (40%) to the 173rd District Court; b) Ten percent (10%) to the 3rd District Court; c) Twenty-five percent (25%) to the County Court at Law; and d) Twenty-five percent (25%) to the County Court at Law 2. 2) Case Numbering and Filing Sequence: All family cases filed with the District Clerk shall be assigned in numerical sequence based on the order of filing. Each case shall receive a unique cause number formatted as follows: a) Case Type Code: ("FAM" for family cases, and "JUV" for juvenile cases), followed by the last two digits of the calendar year, a dash (-), a four-digit sequential number beginning with 0001 each January, another dash (-), and the court identifier (District Court or County Court at Law) to which the case is assigned. Each court shall maintain its own independent sequential numbering system, so the cause numbers assigned in one court are not duplicated in another. See Table 1 for Illustration. Examples: FAM25-0001-173, JUV25-0001-173 RULE 2 – NON-FAMILY AND NON-CRIMINAL-RELATED CIVIL CASES FILED WITH THE DISTRICT CLERK A. Docketing and Assignment of Filed Cases: All non-family and non-criminal-related civil cases filed with the District Clerk shall be assigned and docketed by the District Clerk to either the 173rd District Court or the 3rd District Court, in accordance with the procedures set forth below: 1) Assignment by Ratio: The District Clerk shall assign all non-family and non-criminal-related civil cases by lot in accordance with the following ratio: a) Twenty percent (20%) to the 3rd District Court; and b) Eighty percent (80%) to the 173rd District Court. 2) Case Numbering and Filing Sequence: All non-family and non-criminal-related civil cases filed with the District Clerk shall be assigned in numerical sequence based on the order of filing. Each case shall receive a unique cause number formatted as follows: a) Case Type Code: ("CV" for non-tax cases and "TAX" for tax cases), followed by the last two digits of the calendar year, a dash (-), a four-digit sequential number beginning with 0001 each January, another dash (-), and the court identifier (District Court) to which the case is assigned. Each court shall maintain its own independent sequential numbering system, so the cause numbers assigned in one court are not duplicated in another. See Table 1 for Illustration. Examples: CV25-0001-173, TAX25-0001-173 B. Re-Filing of Cases: If a case previously assigned to a District Court is non-suited or dismissed then later re-filed involving the same or similar parties or cause of action, the District Clerk shall assign the re-filed case to the same District Court as the original assignment. However, if the original case was assigned to the 392nd District Court and is not a criminal-related civil case, the re-filed case shall be assigned and docketed in either the 173rd or the 3rd District Court in accordance with the provisions set forth in Section A. above. C. Temporary Restraining Orders: Requests for immediate temporary restraining orders or other emergency relief shall be directed to the judge of the court in which the case has been or will be filed. If that judge is unavailable, the request may be presented to another judge. D. Transfer of Cases Between Courts: To promote the efficient distribution of cases, the District Judges may, from time to time, transfer individual cases or categories of cases from one District Court to another. E. Hearing of Cases by Other District Judges: The three District Judges may hear matters in each other's courts without requiring a formal transfer of the case. F. Bills of Review: Cases involving a Bill of Review shall be assigned to the District Court that rendered the original judgment being challenged. G. Applications for Protective Orders: Applications for Protective Orders shall be assigned in accordance with the procedures in Section A. above, UNLESS, the applicant and respondent are parties to a family case or the application is filed in relation to a criminal case. If the applicant and the respondent are parties to a family case, the application shall be filed and assigned in the court in which the family case is pending. If the application is filed in relation to a criminal case, the application shall be filed and assigned in the court in which the criminal case is pending. RULE 3 - CRIMINAL AND CRIMINAL-RELATED CIVIL CASES FILED WITH THE DISTRICT CLERK A. Grand Juries: The responsibility for empaneling and overseeing grand juries shall be shared between the 392nd and 3rd District Courts. 1) Rotation of Grand Jury Responsibility: a) The 392nd District Court shall conduct two consecutive six-month grand jury terms; and b) The 3rd District Court shall then conduct one six-month grand jury term. 2) This three-term rotation shall continue in the same sequence unless otherwise agreed upon by the District Judges. 3) Indictments returned by the grand jury shall be filed in the court that empaneled the grand jury returning the indictment. B. Docketing and Assignment of Filed Cases: All indictments returned by the Grand Jury and all criminal and criminal-related civil cases filed with the District Clerk shall be assigned and docketed to either the 392nd District Court or the 3rd District Court, regardless of which court empaneled the grand jury that returned the indictment. Assignments shall be made by the District Clerk in accordance with the following procedures: 1) Assignment by Ratio: The District Clerk shall assign criminal and criminal-related civil cases by lot in accordance with the following ratio: a) Cases Not Involving the Offense of Murder or Capital Murder: (1) Twenty percent (20%) to the 3rd District Court; and (2) Eighty percent (80%) to the 392nd District Court. b) Murder and Capital Murder Cases: (1) Murder and Capital Murder cases shall be assigned based on the date of offense, using a rolling 4-to-1 rotation: Under this rotation, the first four cases shall be assigned to the 392nd District Court, and every fifth case shall be assigned to the 3rd District Court. 2) Case Numbering and Filing Sequence: All criminal and criminal-related civil cases filed with the District Clerk shall be assigned in numerical sequence based on the order of filing. Each case shall receive a unique cause number formatted as follows: a) Case Type Code: ("CR" for criminal cases and "CRC" for criminal-related civil cases), followed by the last two digits of the calendar year, a dash (-), a four-digit sequential number beginning with 0001 each January, another dash (-), and the court identifier (District Court) to which the case is filed. Each court shall maintain its own independent sequential numbering system, so the cause numbers assigned in one court are not duplicated in another. See Table 1 for Illustration. Examples: CR25-0001-392, CRC25-0001-3 C. Seizure Cases: Felony cases associated with a TX CCP Chapter 59 civil seizure case shall be assigned to the District Court in which the civil seizure case is assigned. D. Habeas Corpus Cases: Felony cases associated with a habeas corpus action shall be assigned to the District Court in which the habeas corpus case is assigned. E. Application for Protective Order Cases: Applications for Protective Orders filed in relation to a felony case shall be filed and assigned to the District Court in which the indicted or filed case is assigned. F. Re-Filing of Cases: If a case previously assigned to a District Court is non-suited or dismissed and later re-filed or re-indicted involving the same defendant or cause of action, the District Clerk shall filed and assign the re-filed or re-indicted case to the same District Court as the original assignment. However, if the original case was assigned to the 173rd District Court, the re-filed or re-indicted case shall be filed and assigned to either the 392nd or the 3rd District Court in accordance with the provisions set forth in section B. above. [electronic signature: Judge Mark Calhoon (Dec 4, 2025 11:57:35 CST)] Judge Mark Calhoon, 3rd Judicial District Court Date: Dec 4, 2025 [electronic signature: R. Scott McKee (Dec 3, 2025 15:04:21 CST)] Judge R. Scott McKee, 392nd Judicial District Court Date: Dec 3, 2025 [electronic signature: Clinton Davis (Dec 3, 2025 15:17:53 CST)] Judge Clint Davis, 173rd Judicial District Court Date: Dec 3, 2025 [electronic signature: Nancy Adams Perryman (Dec 4, 2025 08:47:58 CST)] Nancy Perryman, County Court at Law 2 Date: Dec 4, 2025 [electronic signature: Judge Scott Williams (Dec 4, 2025 08:55:21 CST)] Judge Scott Williams, County Court at Law Date: Dec 4, 2025 Table 1 (Cause Number Formatting) Column headings: case type code ("CV" for Civil; "CR" for Criminal; "FAM" for Family; "JUV" for Juvenile; "TAX" for Tax; "CRC" for Civil related to Criminal) | Last two digits of calendar year in which case was filed | Four digit sequential number assigned when case is filed- beginning with 0001 each calendar year | District Court assigned in accordance with Civil Rule 1A(1) & Criminal Rule2B(1) CV | 25 | 0001 | 3 or 173 FAM | 25 | 0001 | 3 or 173 or CCL or CCL2 JUV | 25 | 0001 | 3 or 173 or CCL or CCL2 TAX | 25 | 0001 | 3 or 173 CR | 25 | 0001 | 3 or 392 CRC | 25 | 0001 | 3 or 392 [File stamp: FILED FOR RECORD at 12:32 o'clock P.M., DEC 4 2025, Betty Herriage, District Clerk, Henderson County, Texas, by deputy (initialed)]
AMENDED RULES FOR ADMINISTRATION OF CASES IN THE DISTRICT COURTS AND COUNTY COURTS AT LAW OF HENDERSON COUNTY, TEXAS Three District Courts have jurisdiction in Henderson County, Texas; to wit: 3rd Judicial District 173rd Judicial District 392nd Judicial District Two County Courts at Law have jurisdiction in Henderson County, Texas; to wit: County Court at Law County Court at Law 2 These Rules a
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-19 (AJR-10 Tenth Region build) from BenchPath custody sources/registered/2681.pdf (application/pdf, 413349 bytes, sha256 4976de817034238e02363af9a1c66dc98a77e9aba6b8b2c1b5ae718c056ca589; 5 pages) - the TOPICs-registered document: transcribed by eye from the rendered pages of the scanned PDF (no text layer in the file was relied on), machine OCR draft corrected page by page; signature and file-stamp blocks bracketed. Five-page image-only PDF; typed from the rendered pages with the OCR draft as a check (the draft had dropped item d) of Rule 1(A)(1), the opening of Rule 1(A)(2)(a), the numeral of Rule 3(B)(2) and table cells). The instrument states no effective date; effective_date is its filing date. Printed as on the instrument: "shall filed and assign" (Rule 3(F)). Edition chain: TOPICs 2609 (district courts only, filed Oct 02 2025, 'shall take effect December 5th, 2025', civil and family cases 80/20 between the 173rd and the 3rd) is the earlier edition; this instrument was signed and filed later by all five judges, restates every rule of 2609 and re-allocates family cases among four courts; it carries no express repeal clause. The county site posts both editions (file names ending 10225 and 12425). The registry's issuer metadata names the county courts at law; the caption names all five courts. Also posted on the county's own website: https://www.henderson-county.com/DocumentCenter/View/776/Amended-Local-Rules-For-District-and-County-Courts-12425-PDF (3,306,284 bytes, sha256 77f6c9c0ead32b4f...; the same signed rules, recorded December 4, 2025, posted on the District Clerk page - read 2026-09-20). The county's own website also still posts an earlier edition: https://www.henderson-county.com/DocumentCenter/View/777/Amended-Local-Rules-for-District-Court-of-Henderson-County-10225-PDF (the district-courts-only edition filed October 2, 2025 (registered as TOPICs 2609), on the District Clerk page - read 2026-09-20); the text published here is the later one.