Terms Used In Texas Government Code Chapter 23 > Subchapter B - Priority in Setting Hearings and Trials

• Appraisal: A determination of property value.
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Department: means the Department of Agriculture. See Texas Agriculture Code 1.003
• 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.
• Litigation: A case, controversy, or lawsuit. Participants (plaintiffs and defendants) in lawsuits are called litigants.
• Person: includes corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, association, and any other legal entity. See Texas Government Code 311.005
• Population: means the population shown by the most recent federal decennial census. See Texas Government Code 311.005
• Remand: When an appellate court sends a case back to a lower court for further proceedings.
• Rule: includes regulation. See Texas Government Code 311.005
• Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
• Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.