Tex. Const. art. V, § 16 · Article 5. JUDICIAL DEPARTMENT
COUNTY COURTS: JURISDICTION; COUNTY JUDGE POWERS; DISQUALIFICATION OF COUNTY JUDGE.
Text — Current through the amendments approved by voters in November 2025
The County Court has jurisdiction as provided by law. The County Judge is the presiding officer of the County Court and has judicial functions as provided by law. County court judges shall have the power to issue writs necessary to enforce their jurisdiction.
County Courts in existence on the effective date of this amendment are continued unless otherwise provided by law.
When the judge of the County Court is disqualified in any case pending in the County Court the parties interested may, by consent, appoint a proper person to try said case, or upon their failing to do so a competent person may be appointed to try the same in the county where it is pending in such manner as may be prescribed by law.
Notes and commentary — not constitutional text
History
(Feb. 15, 1876. Amended Aug. 11, 1891, Nov. 7, 1978, Nov. 4, 1980, and Nov. 5, 1985.)
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the amendments approved by voters in November 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/CN/htm/CN.5.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 22572faddd0c86ac35e127b46cf9fd5a649138e531a5335ac335b1df388c87c1
- 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.