Council of Judges

a. There is hereby created in each of the administrative regions a Council of Judges, composed of the Presiding Judge as Chairman, judges of the district courts, statutory county courts, and business court within the region, senior judges, and former district and statutory county court judges residing in the region who have qualified to serve as judicial officers under the provisions of Section 74.055 of the Texas Government Code.

b. The Presiding Judge shall call at least one meeting each year of the Council of Judges of the administrative region, at a time and place designated by the Presiding Judge, for consultation and counseling on the state of the dockets and the civil and criminal business in the district and statutory county courts of the administrative region and arranging for the disposition of cases and other business pending on the court dockets. At the meeting, the Council shall study and act upon the matters listed in Rule 3.e and such other matters as may be presented to the meeting by the judges in attendance.

c. The Council of Judges shall adopt rules for the administration of the affairs of the courts within the administrative region, including, but not limited to, rules for:

(1) management of the business, administrative and nonjudicial affairs of the courts;

(2) docket management systems to provide the most efficient and effective use of available court resources and that ensure individual judicial responsibility for each assigned case;

(3) the reporting of docket and case-level information as required by the Texas Judicial Council or the Office of Court Administration;

(4) meaningful procedures for achieving the time standards for the disposition of cases provided by Rule 6;

(5) such other matters necessary to the administrative operations of the courts; and

(6) judicial budget matters.

d. The expenses of judges attending meetings of the Council of Judges may be paid from funds provided by law.