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The county-wide family standing order of the Kaufman County District and County Courts at Law (signed July 15, 2024 by all five judges; effective for every divorce and SAPCR filed on or after July 18, 2024; adopted under Family Code §§ 6.501–6.503, 105.001, 105.009): contempt-enforceable (up to $500 and six months' county jail per violation plus fee judgments), it operates as a 14-day TRO after filing and continues as a temporary injunction unless contested; the petitioner must attach it to the Original Petition. It orders the familiar protections: TRO/ex-parte applications require 2-hour advance notice to the other side (with irreparable-harm certificate exceptions); children may not be hidden, moved from Texas, or withdrawn from school absent written agreement or court order; no derogatory comments, litigation talk in a child's hearing, alcohol within 12 hours of possession, illegal drugs, or overnight dating partners during possession (divorces); conduct rules against harassment, mail diversion, account access, and pet interference; property/records/insurance preservation in divorces (including a metadata/native-format preservation clause and a no-social-media-deletion clause); mediation REQUIRED in all contested family cases (≥45 days before trial, rotating-list assignment if not agreed, sanctions up to dismissal or default for non-participation, and no continuance for failure to mediate); bond waived.
Texas > Kaufman County > every divorce and SAPCR in the District Courts (86th, 422nd, 489th) and County Courts at Law — signed July 15, 2024 by Judges Casey Blair (86th), Shelton Gibbs, IV (422nd), Tracy Gray (489th), Joseph Russell (CCL), and Bobby Rich (CCL No. 2); effective for cases filed on or after July 18, 2024 (filed with the District Clerk July 18, 2024).
ENFORCEMENT AND MECHANISM: "THIS ORDER MAY BE ENFORCEABLE BY CONTEMPT, INCLUDING A FINE OF UP TO $500, CONFINEMENT IN THE COUNTY JAIL FOR SIX MONTHS, OR BOTH… AND A MONEY JUDGMENT FOR PAYMENT OF ATTORNEY'S FEES AND COURT COSTS." The Order takes effect when an Original Petition is filed, "remains in full force and effect as a Temporary Restraining Order for fourteen (14) days," and if uncontested continues "as a temporary injunction until further Order of the Court"; it ends at final order or dismissal. The petitioner shall attach a copy to the Original Petition and every copy (the District Clerk ensures attachment otherwise). A conflicting active order (protective order, CPS order, temporary/final order) controls. TRO / EX PARTE: counsel or a pro se party presenting any TRO or other ex parte application shall notify the opposing side and "[p]rovide opposing counsel or party with a copy of the application and proposed order at least 2 hours before" presentment — excused only by a verified certificate stating imminent irreparable harm with insufficient time to notify, and/or that notice "would impair or annul the Court's power to grant relief." CHILDREN: do NOT hide the child; do NOT change the child's residence, remove the child from Texas to change domicile, or disrupt/withdraw the child from school or day-care except by written agreement of ALL parties, court order, or an exclusive designation right consistent with its terms; do NOT make derogatory comments about the other party, their family, or dating partner in the child's presence/hearing or "on social media accessible to the child"; do NOT discuss the litigation with or within the hearing of the child; "Do NOT consume alcohol within 12 hours before OR during any period of possession or access to the child"; "Do NOT consume illegal drugs AT ANY TIME" (prescriptions only as prescribed); in a suit for divorce only, no dating partner in the same residence between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. during possession. CONDUCT: no vulgar/threatening/harassing communications; no threats against parties, family, pets, or property; no unreasonable-hour, offensive, repetitious, or anonymous contacts; do NOT open or divert the other party's mail; do NOT access the other party's email, financial, social-media, or other electronic accounts; no illegal interception or recording; no harming or interfering with a pet or companion animal; no contacting the other party's employer or business contacts without a legitimate purpose. DIVORCE PROPERTY/RECORDS/INSURANCE (highlights, quoted from the order's Do NOT lists): no destroying, concealing, encumbering, transferring, or selling property; no hiding property or misrepresenting its existence on proper request; no debt other than legal expenses in the case; no withdrawals from financial accounts, cash spending, or retirement borrowing except as authorized; no signing the spouse's name on negotiable instruments; no terminating credit or utilities or contractual services; no excluding the spouse from the currently shared residence (or one shared within 30 days before filing); no entering safe-deposit boxes; "Do NOT delete any data or content from any social network profile used or created by either spouse or any child"; records (family, property, financial, business, income/debt, and electronic data) may not be concealed, destroyed, falsified, or altered — including "the native format or metadata of any record"; life/casualty/auto/health insurance may not be withdrawn, redesignated, or canceled. Specific authorizations preserve usual business acts, reasonable attorney's fees and living expenses, and authorized withdrawals. ADR: "Mediation, or any other appropriate form of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), is required in ALL CONTESTED FAMILY LAW CASES, unless specifically waived by the Court." Before a trial setting the parties file an agreed ADR order naming the mediator/arbitrator, or the Court assigns a qualified mediator "on a rotating basis from the Court's approved list"; if mediation is chosen or ordered, it "is to take place no later than 45 days prior to trial," with only did-or-did-not-settle reported; costs borne individually unless ordered otherwise. "Failure to participate in Court Ordered Mediation or other forms of ADR may result in the imposition of sanctions, as permitted by law, which may include dismissal or default judgment." Failure to mediate is not cause for continuance. BOND: "the requirement of a bond is waived."
Reviewer note: Image-only signed scan read page-by-page through the vision lane (7 pages; the extracted OCR text layer is garbled and was not relied on). Dual custody: the registered TOPICs instrument and the county's own postings "Standing Orders 2024" at DocumentCenter/View/7255 (86th page) and View/8326 (422nd page) — BYTE-IDENTICAL at 338,743 B. Composed benchpath-ajr1-p6b.
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.