Tex. Code Crim. Proc. art. 31A.001 · Subchapter A. AUTHORITY TO CHANGE VENUE
CHANGE OF VENUE ON JUDGE'S OWN MOTION.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) In a felony or misdemeanor case punishable by confinement, if the judge is satisfied that a fair and impartial trial cannot be held for any reason in the county in which the case is pending, the judge may on the judge's own motion, after providing reasonable notice to the defendant and the state and hearing evidence on the motion, order a change of venue to:
(1) any county in the same judicial district as the county in which the case is pending or in an adjoining judicial district; or
(2) any county not described by Subdivision (1), after 10 days' notice is provided.
(b) An order changing venue under Subsection (a) must state the grounds for the change of venue.
(c) An order changing venue under Subsection (a)(2) is grounds for reversal if, on timely contest by the defendant, the record of the contest affirmatively shows that any county described by Subsection (a)(1) is not subject to the same conditions that required the change of venue.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 1.001, eff. January 1, 2025.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CR/htm/CR.31A.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 e3e76735e1fb0fb8c1cc21dac88fe26e718fc952044b59486288df1ed0d1b90d
- Composed by
- compose_tx.py 2026-10-05: the Legislative Council's chapter files read in document order; verify_tx.py's independent reading (lxml DOM walk) agrees character for character
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.