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The district courts' local rules (signed January 3, 2023 by Judges Randy M. Clapp (329th) and Ben Hardin (23rd)): ONE GENERAL DOCKET — odd-numbered cases to the 23rd, even-numbered to the 329th, either judge may hear any matter without transfer; active-trial-docket setting mechanics with ten certifications; docket-call priority and loss on continuance; Rule 166 pretrial; mediation referral for half-day-plus evidentiary hearings; domestic-relations requirements (parenting education before final judgment; FIS before show-cause and merits hearings); open weeks; courtroom conduct; and adoption of the 11th AJR Regional Rules by reference.
Texas > Wharton County > 23rd and 329th District Courts
Verbatim highlights from the vision-read instrument (8 pp., signed 1/3/2023): "The District Courts of Wharton County maintain ONE GENERAL DOCKET. Cases with odd cause numbers are assigned to the 23rd District Court and cases with even cause numbers are assigned to the 329th District Court"; either district judge "may hear and determine any matter pending in either court" without transfer orders. 329th settings: written Active Trial Docket requests with the ten enumerated certifications; two active dockets maintained; priority by receipt order, and a case continued at docket call "loses its position"; forty-five days' notice of trial settings; Rule 166 pre-trial conferences; one criminal and one civil jury case set per month as the standard cadence. Motions: the 329th publishes its motion calendar via www.329th.com and the coordinator; "evidentiary hearings expected to exceed one-half day will ordinarily be referred to mediation" before setting. The 23rd's settings run through its coordinator at the Matagorda County Courthouse (dc.23d@outlook.com — the two-county chambers reality, recorded). Domestic relations: Report of Divorce forms; child-support payments route per the stated mechanics with the annual $36 processing fee paragraph; income withholding; a current Financial Information Statement is required before show-cause and merits hearings; "parenting education" completion is required before entry of final judgment in cases involving children. Ad litem appointments follow Family Code ch. 107. OPEN WEEKS: the State Bar Convention week, the Judicial Section conference week, and the last week of December. Courtroom conduct mirrors the 329th Courtroom Rules. "THE ELEVENTH ADMINISTRATIVE JUDICIAL REGION OF TEXAS REGIONAL RULES OF ADMINISTRATION are adopted by reference." Signed January 3, 2023 — Randy M. Clapp (329th) and Ben Hardin (23rd; succeeded by John C. Maher, Jr. per the OCA 2026-05-20 roster and his May 2025 signatures). Registered instrument: https://topics.txcourts.gov/LocalRulesPublic/PreviewAttachment/1269
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