Tex. Gov't Code § 54A.006 · Subchapter A. CRIMINAL ASSOCIATE JUDGES
PROCEEDINGS THAT MAY BE REFERRED.
Text — Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
(a) A judge may refer to an associate judge any matter arising out of a criminal case involving:
(1) a negotiated plea of guilty or no contest before the court;
(2) a bond forfeiture;
(3) a pretrial motion;
(4) a writ of habeas corpus;
(5) an examining trial;
(6) an occupational driver's license;
(7) an appeal of an administrative driver's license revocation hearing;
(8) a civil commitment matter under Subtitle C, Title 7, Health and Safety Code;
(9) setting, adjusting, or revoking bond;
(10) the issuance of search warrants, including a search warrant under Article 18.02(a)(10), Code of Criminal Procedure, notwithstanding Article 18.01(c), Code of Criminal Procedure; and
(11) any other matter the judge considers necessary and proper.
(b) An associate judge may accept an agreed plea of guilty or no contest from a defendant charged with misdemeanor, felony, or both misdemeanor and felony offenses and may assess punishment if a plea agreement is announced on the record between the defendant and the state.
(c) An associate judge has all of the powers of a magistrate under the laws of this state and may administer an oath for any purpose.
(d) An associate judge may select a jury. Except as provided in Subsection (b), an associate judge may not preside over a trial on the merits, whether or not the trial is before a jury.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Added by Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., 1st C.S., Ch. 3 (H.B. 79), Sec. 6.01, eff. January 1, 2012.
Amended by:
Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 467 (H.B. 4170), Sec. 8.005, eff. September 1, 2019.
Source of truth
- Edition
- Current through the 89th 2nd Called Legislative Session, 2025
- Official file
- https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.54A.htm
- Text hash
- sha256 8c7736d951a7339eaba612da430c24c0ae307110eddefa8257d0631e4ead5878
- 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
BenchPath cards that rely on this text
- Brazos County Local Rules of Administration (adopted June 28, 2023; eff. July 11, 2023)
- Local Rules of the District Courts Trying Criminal Cases in Harris County, Texas (amended January 2022)
- Order of Referral of Criminal Matters to the Associate Judge — 300th District Court
- Rules of Court, Harris County Criminal Courts at Law (as amended through December 11, 2025)
This section cites
Provisions in this library that the text above cites, as it prints each citation. A range cited as “ss. 61.13-61.16” links its first and last provisions.
Code of Criminal Procedure
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.