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The petitioner's attorney must provide an order appointing the pre-adoptive home screening and post-placement report provider (the judge chooses the provider; the attorney notifies the provider of the appointment, deadlines and dates and the client pays the provider), obtain the DPS criminal history required by Family Code § 162.0085 (the hearing is passed until the report is on file and the attorney must request a reset), provide an order appointing the ad litem (the judge chooses; the attorney notifies the ad litem of the appointment, the court of hearing dates) or give the judge a written waiver before obtaining a hearing date, and have the clients complete the Adoption Vital Statistics form before leaving the courthouse.
Applies to adoptions in the 36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts sitting in McMullen County (the courts serve Aransas, Bee, Live Oak, McMullen and San Patricio Counties; court administrators at (361) 364-9310). Issued under the three judges' letterhead; no single judge join. Not registered on TOPICs; posted on the 36th, 156th and 343rd District Courts' own website (www.36-156-343districtcourts.org, served on the CIRA platform under www.co.zapata.tx.us/page/districtcourt.*, from which BenchPath's custody copy was fetched). Procedural information only; not legal advice.
ADOPTION PROCEDURES IN THE DISTRICT COURTS IN ARANSAS, BEE, LIVE OAK, MCMULLEN and SAN PATRICIO COUNTIES (Starr Boldrick Bauer, District Judge, 36th Judicial District; Boyd W. Bauer, District Judge, 156th Judicial District; Janna K. Whatley, District Judge, 343rd Judicial District — District Judge's Office, P.O. Box 700, Sinton, Texas 78387-0700, (361) 364-9310, districtjudges@gmail.com). 1. You must provide an order appointing the pre-adoptive home screening and post-placement report provider. You may suggest a provider but the Judge will have the right to select their preferred provider. If the parties live outside the district, please bring that to the court's attention when you send the Order appointing provider(s). You are responsible for notifying the provider of their appointment and of all deadlines and dates. THE COURT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR NOTIFYING THE PROVIDER OF THE APPOINTMENT OR COURT DATE. You and your client are responsible for payment to the provider and scheduling all meeting with the provider. 2. The criminal history must be obtained as required by Family Code Section 162.0085 and must be from the Texas Department of Public Safety https://www.dps.texas.gov/internetforms/Forms/CR-62.pdf. If the criminal history report is not filed with the district clerk by the time the hearing is set, the case will be passed until such time as the report is filed. It will then be the duty of the attorney for the petitioner to request a reset once the report is on file. 3. You must provide an order appointing the ad litem. You may suggest an ad litem but the Judge will have the right to select the ad litem. You are responsible for notifying the ad litem of their appointment and of all deadlines and dates. THE COURT IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR NOTIFYING THE AD LITEM OF THE APPOINTMENT, BUT WILL NOTIFY THE AD LITEM OF ANY HEARING DATES. If you feel that an ad litem is not necessary, you must notify the court of that fact and provide a written waiver to the Judge prior to obtaining a hearing date from the court administrator. 4. Please do not forget to have your clients fill out the Adoption Vital Statistic Form prior to their leaving the courthouse. 36th District Court Administrator, (361) 364-9310; 156th District Court Administrator, (361) 364-9310; 343rd Court Administrator, (361) 364-9310. www.36-156-343districtcourts.org
ADOPTION PROCEDURES IN THE DISTRICT COURTS IN ARANSAS, BEE, LIVE OAK, MCMULLEN and SAN PATRICIO COUNTIES (Starr Boldrick Bauer, District Judge, 36th Judicial District; Boyd W. Bauer, District Judge, 156th Judicial District; Janna K. Whatley, District Judge, 343rd Judicial District — District Judge's Office, P.O. Box 700, Sinton, Texas 78387-0700, (361) 364-9310, districtjudges@gmail.com). 1. You m
Reviewer note: Composed 2026-09-08 from BenchPath's own-site custody copy (one image-only page read through the vision lane and transcribed). Undated on its face; the site's "2026" file name and the current three-judge letterhead (Boyd W. Bauer succeeded Judge Flanigan in the 156th) date the edition, and January 1, 2026 is carried as a placeholder — UNVERIFIED. McMullen County edition of a five-county instrument.
6 verbatim requirements on case management in STEVEN P. DELUCA's division.
4 verbatim requirements on case management in LAUREN N. PEFFER's division.