Text of subsection effective until January 01, 2025

(a) A judge may refer to a magistrate any criminal case or matter relating to a criminal case for proceedings involving:
(1) a negotiated plea of guilty or no contest and sentencing before the court;
(2) a bond forfeiture, remittitur, and related proceedings;
(3) a pretrial motion;
(4) a writ of habeas corpus;
(5) an examining trial;
(6) an occupational driver’s license;
(7) a petition for an order of expunction under Chapter 55, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(8) an asset forfeiture hearing as provided by Chapter 59, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(9) a petition for an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information or an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information that does not require a petition provided by Subchapter E-1, Chapter 411;
(10) a motion to modify or revoke community supervision or to proceed with an adjudication of guilty;
(11) setting conditions, modifying, revoking, and surrendering of bonds, including surety bonds;
(12) specialty court proceedings;
(13) a waiver of extradition; and
(14) any other matter the judge considers necessary and proper.

Text of subsection effective on January 01, 2025

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Terms Used In Texas Government Code 54.2606

  • Asset forfeiture: A procedure by which a person's property is seized to pay judgments levied by the court.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Extradition: The formal process of delivering an accused or convicted person from authorities in one state to authorities in another state.
  • Habeas corpus: A writ that is usually used to bring a prisoner before the court to determine the legality of his imprisonment. It may also be used to bring a person in custody before the court to give testimony, or to be prosecuted.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Writ: A formal written command, issued from the court, requiring the performance of a specific act.

(a) A judge may refer to a magistrate any criminal case or matter relating to a criminal case for proceedings involving:
(1) a negotiated plea of guilty or no contest and sentencing before the court;
(2) a bond forfeiture, remittitur, and related proceedings;
(3) a pretrial motion;
(4) a writ of habeas corpus;
(5) an examining trial;
(6) an occupational driver’s license;
(7) a petition for an order of expunction under Chapter 55A, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(8) an asset forfeiture hearing as provided by Chapter 59, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(9) a petition for an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information or an order of nondisclosure of criminal history record information that does not require a petition provided by Subchapter E-1, Chapter 411;
(10) a motion to modify or revoke community supervision or to proceed with an adjudication of guilty;
(11) setting conditions, modifying, revoking, and surrendering of bonds, including surety bonds;
(12) specialty court proceedings;
(13) a waiver of extradition; and
(14) any other matter the judge considers necessary and proper.
(b) A judge may refer to a magistrate a civil case arising out of Chapter 59, Code of Criminal Procedure, for any purpose authorized by that chapter, including issuing orders, accepting agreed judgments, enforcing judgments, and presiding over a case on the merits if a party has not requested a jury trial.
(c) A magistrate may accept a plea of guilty from a defendant charged with misdemeanor, felony, or both misdemeanor and felony offenses.
(d) A magistrate may select a jury. A magistrate may not preside over a criminal trial on the merits, whether or not the trial is before a jury.
(e) A magistrate may not hear a jury trial on the merits of a bond forfeiture.
(f) A judge of a designated juvenile court may refer to a magistrate any proceeding over which a juvenile court has exclusive original jurisdiction under Title 3, Family Code, including any matter ancillary to the proceeding.