Tex. Gov't Code § 54.856 · Subchapter L. CRIMINAL LAW HEARING OFFICERS IN CERTAIN COUNTIES
CRIMINAL JURISDICTION.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A criminal law hearing officer appointed under this subchapter has limited concurrent jurisdiction over criminal cases filed in the district courts and county criminal courts at law of the county and concurrent jurisdiction over criminal cases filed in the justice courts of the county. In criminal cases filed in the district courts and county criminal courts at law, the jurisdiction of the criminal law hearing officer is limited to:
(1) determining probable cause for further detention of any person detained on a criminal complaint, information, or indictment filed in the district courts or county criminal courts at law;
(2) committing the defendant to jail, discharging the defendant from custody, or admitting the defendant to bail, as the law and facts of the case require;
(3) issuing search warrants and arrest warrants as provided by law for magistrates; and
(4) enforcing judgments and orders of the county criminal courts at law in criminal cases.
(b) This section does not limit or impair the jurisdiction of the court in which the complaint, information, or indictment is filed to review or alter the decision of the criminal law hearing officer.
(c) In a felony or misdemeanor case punishable by incarceration in the county jail, a criminal law hearing officer may not dismiss the case, enter a judgment of acquittal or guilt, or pronounce sentence.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 1993, 73rd Leg., ch. 224, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 30, 1993. Amended by Acts 2001, 77th Leg., ch. 1206, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2001.
Amended by:
Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 811 (S.B. 1404), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2007.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.54.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 e9d706f33db1eb4cb5ea676ec0a150d8779fb4847ae5a59517683bc6f7e7ffcd
- 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.