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The 12th/278th District Courts’ standing order in limine for criminal jury trials (Madison County edition). Without first approaching the bench and obtaining a ruling, no attorney may mention before the jury or venire any of the enumerated matters — facts of the case in voir dire, probation applications, punishment range, commitment questions, argument during voir dire/opening, the defendant’s right to remain silent, enhancement paragraphs, ex parte statements, hearsay medical opinions, or undisclosed exhibits — and each attorney must instruct clients and non-adverse witnesses accordingly. Violations may draw contempt or a State Bar referral.
Texas > Madison County > 12th & 278th District Courts. Shared 12th & 278th Judicial District instrument; Madison County edition.
STANDING ORDER IN LIMINE FOR CRIMINAL JURY TRIALS For the 12th Judicial District Court & 278th Judicial District Court During the trial of any criminal jury case in the District Court, unless and except to the extent that this Order is expressly suspended as to a specific proceeding, no attorney shall mention, refer to, or suggest, in the presence or hearing of the jury, the venire panel, or any member thereof, any of the matters set forth below without first approaching the bench and obtaining a ruling from the Court authorizing such reference. Each attorney is further directed to instruct their client(s), client representatives, and all non-adverse witnesses they may call to testify to similarly refrain from any such statements, references, or suggestions unless required to truthfully respond to a question posed by opposing counsel. WARNING: Violation of this Standing Order may result in contempt proceedings or referral to the State Bar for disciplinary review, as deemed appropriate by the Court. The following matters are prohibited from being raised before the jury unless authorized by the Court: 1. Discussion of facts of the case during voir dire (allegations in the indictment may be referenced). 2. Whether the defendant has applied for, or intends to apply for, probation. 3. The range of punishment, if punishment is to be assessed by the Court. 4. Commitment questions during voir dire. 5. Argument of the case during voir dire or opening statement. 6. Any reference by the State to the defendant's right to remain silent. 7. Reference to the enhancement portion of the indictment during voir dire or opening; this portion shall not be read during the guilt-innocence phase. 8. Mention of any ex parte statement by a witness unless and until the witness testifies inconsistently with that statement. 9. Any statement about or suggestion as to the probable testimony of a witness who is unavailable. 10. Hearsay statements concerning medical diagnoses or opinions provided by health care providers to an alleged victim. 11. Display of documents, photographs, or visual aids to the jury before tendering to opposing counsel and obtaining Court approval or admission into evidence. 12. Requests for stipulations or demands for admission or denial of facts in the presence of the jury. 13. Expressions of counsel's personal opinion as to any witness's credibility. 14. Questions to any witness regarding whether another witness lied or lacks credibility, except as permitted by Texas Rules of Evidence 404 and 405. 15. Expressions of counsel's personal opinion on the guilt or innocence of the defendant. 16. Offering witnesses or documents not disclosed in accordance with the Standing Discovery Order or other discovery rulings, without first seeking Court approval. 17. Objections based on undisclosed discovery shall be raised outside the jury's presence and, when possible, addressed during pretrial proceedings. 18. (Intentionally omitted to maintain numbering consistent with original.) 19. (Intentionally omitted.) 20. Any reference to polygraph examinations or offers to take one. 21. Mention of extraneous offenses—adjudicated or not—without prior approval of the Court, unless it constitutes an element of the charged offense. 22. Argument on objections, unless invited by the Court. 23. Reference to the timing or circumstances surrounding the defendant's retention or appointment of legal counsel. SIGNED this 15th day of December, 2025. [signature] David W. Moorman, Judge, 12th Judicial District [signature] Tracy Sorensen, Judge, 278th Judicial District
STANDING ORDER IN LIMINE FOR CRIMINAL JURY TRIALS For the 12th Judicial District Court & 278th Judicial District Court During the trial of any criminal jury case in the District Court, unless and except to the extent that this Order is expressly suspended as to a specific proceeding, no attorney shall mention, refer to, or suggest, in the presence or hearing of the jury, the venire panel, or any m
Reviewer note: AJR-2 cluster (12th/278th/506th). Source instrument read via vision/text lane; classified RULE under the records-vs-rules doctrine. Composed benchpath-ajr2-cluster. Applicability 2026-09-09 (fix program 2026-09-09, Phase 5, audit M7): specific -> universal — the row binds every court in its state/circuit/county scope and names no court, judge or division. [TRANSCRIBED BY EYE 2026-09-21 (corpus-0920 P12): every page of the registered file (sha256 8c0932689e7c..., 2 page(s), digital layer that failed the machine checks; text taken from the layer 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.