Sec. 25.2702. 1ST MULTICOUNTY COURT AT LAW PROVISIONS. (a) In addition to the jurisdiction provided by Section 25.0003 and other law, the 1st Multicounty Court at Law has concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in:

(1) family law cases and proceedings; and

(2) felony criminal cases.

(b) The county court at law has concurrent jurisdiction with the justice court in criminal matters prescribed by law for justice courts. This section does not affect the right of appeal to a county court at law from a justice court where the right of appeal to the county court exists by law.

(c) The judge may not engage in the private practice of law.

(c-1) Nolan County is the administrative county for the 1st Multicounty Court at Law.

(d) The judge of the county court at law shall appoint an official court reporter. The judge may appoint a court administrator to aid the judge in the performance of the judge's duties. The official court reporter and the court administrator of the county court at law are entitled to receive a salary set by the commissioners courts in the counties the reporter or administrator serves to be paid out of the county treasuries, either by salary or by contract as set by the commissioners courts. The clerk of the court shall tax as costs, in each civil and probate case in which a record of any part of the evidence in the case is made by the reporter, a stenographer's fee of $25. The fee shall be paid in the same manner as other costs in the case. The clerk collects the fee and pays it into the general funds of the counties.

(d-1) Fisher, Mitchell, and Nolan Counties shall enter into an interlocal agreement allocating the financial obligations of each county in relation to the county court at law and the budget, powers, and duties of the court and salaries of court personnel.

(d-2) If the counties served by the county court at law are unable to reach an agreement under Subsection (d-1) before the first day of the fiscal year for a county served by the court, each county shall pay to the court's administrative county a share of the court's administrative and operational costs for the fiscal year based on the proportion of the court's caseload originating in the county during the preceding year. A county is entitled to compensation from the state under Section 25.0015 in proportion to the amount paid under this subsection.

(e) The district clerk serves as clerk of the county court at law in matters of concurrent jurisdiction with the district court, and the county clerk serves as clerk of the county court at law in all other cases.

(f) Sections 25.0006, 25.0008, and 74.054(b) do not apply to the county court at law.

(g) The judge of the county court at law is entitled to travel expenses and necessary office expenses as authorized by the commissioners court of the administrative county.

(h) Notwithstanding Section 74.121(b)(1), in matters of concurrent jurisdiction, the judge of the 1st Multicounty Court at Law and the judges of the district courts in Fisher, Mitchell, and Nolan Counties may exchange benches and courtrooms and may transfer cases between their dockets in the same manner that judges of district courts exchange benches and transfer cases under Section 24.003.

Added by Acts 2013, 83rd Leg., R.S., Ch. 1059 (H.B. 3153), Sec. 2.07(a), eff. September 1, 2013.

Amended by:

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1182 (S.B. 1139), Sec. 3.07(c), eff. September 1, 2015.

Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1182 (S.B. 1139), Sec. 3.07(d), eff. September 1, 2015.

Acts 2017, 85th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1114 (H.B. 4281), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2017.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 686 (S.B. 2215), Sec. 1, eff. June 10, 2019.

Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1352 (S.B. 346), Sec. 4.12, eff. January 1, 2020.