The County Courts-at-Law provide legal resolutions in both criminal misdemeanor and civil cases. There are fifteen statutory courts and one Auxiliary Jail court in the Bexar County system. Two of the County Courts-at-Law handle civil cases, on a full time basis, in which the matter in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $200,000. They provide adjudication in suits of debt, negligence, personal injury, delinquent taxes, and eminent domain. The remaining thirteen statutory County Criminal Courts have general jurisdiction and provide adjudication in misdemeanor criminal cases where the punishment, upon conviction, may be a fine not to exceed $4,000 or a jail sentence not to exceed one year.
The Auxiliary Court (Jail Court) handles misdemeanor cases involving jailed defendants and is located within the Bexar County Adult Detention Center. The use of this Jail Court results in faster case dispositions and significant savings to the County by reducing the number of nights inmates spend in jail awaiting court hearings and also minimizes the costs of transporting inmates between the jail and the Justice Center. In 2018, the County Court judges started utilizing Auxiliary Court to conduct 48-72-hour evidentiary bond hearings to determine whether defendants can be released on PR bonds and/or have their bonds reduced based on a financial indigence determination.
Goals and Objectives
- Provide the highest level of court services to the community commensurate with available resources.
- Conduct continuous reviews of the court system’s ability to serve the community.
- Encourage development of improved methods for achieving improved efficiency.
- Review and monitor court collections to identify and resolve problem areas.
