Texas Government Code 54.737 – Administrative Rules
(a) The El Paso Council of Judges by majority vote shall include in the local rules of administration adopted as provided by Subchapter D, Chapter 74, rules for the administration of the criminal law magistrate court.
(b) The rules may provide for:
(1) assignment and hearing of all criminal cases subject to the jurisdictional limitations of the criminal law magistrate court;
(2) designation of a particular judge of the criminal law magistrate court to be responsible for certain matters;
(3) fair and equitable division of caseloads of criminal cases of the judges of the council of judges and the criminal law magistrate court;
(4) limitations on the assignment of cases to the criminal law magistrate court;
(5) limitations on the powers of a judge of the criminal law magistrate court in regard to the exercise of jurisdiction when presiding for an assigning court;
(6) setting hours, days, and places for holding court by a judge of the criminal law magistrate court; and
(7) any other matter necessary to carry out this subchapter or to improve the administration and management of the court system and its auxiliary services.
Terms Used In Texas Government Code 54.737
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Equitable: Pertaining to civil suits in "equity" rather than in "law." In English legal history, the courts of "law" could order the payment of damages and could afford no other remedy. See damages. A separate court of "equity" could order someone to do something or to cease to do something. See, e.g., injunction. In American jurisprudence, the federal courts have both legal and equitable power, but the distinction is still an important one. For example, a trial by jury is normally available in "law" cases but not in "equity" cases. Source: U.S. Courts
- 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.
(c) The rules must provide that a criminal law magistrate judge may only release a defendant under Article 17.031, Code of Criminal Procedure, under guidelines established by the council of judges.