County judge
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The term county judge is applied as a descriptor, sometimes as a title, for a person who presides over a
United States
County Court systems are common in the United States, often led by a County Judge, but with jurisdiction varying between the states, and in many cases carry a mix of
The blurring of executive and judicial functions has developed on a state-by-state basis in response to local needs and so there is little uniformity between states, and even within states at times (differing interactions of
In Kentucky, each county has the similarly-titled elected office of County Judge/Executive, who serves as the chief executive officer for the vast majority of counties.
Texas
In Texas, the County Courts have original jurisdiction established under sections 15 to 17 of Article V of the State Constitution. Each of Texas's 254 counties has a single County Court, which shall be a "court of record" (section 15) with "jurisdiction as provided by law" (section 16),[3] which is exclusive over "Class A" and "Class B" misdemeanors (offenses that can involve jail time), concurrent over civil cases concerning small to moderate amounts, and with appellate jurisdiction over justice of the peace and district / municipal court cases (involving a trial de novo if the lower court is not a "court of record").[citation needed] An elected County Judge shall preside over the County Court for a four-year term (section 15) and have "judicial functions as provided by law," who may be replaced in cases of judicial disqualification or recusal (section 16).[3] Juries in criminal trials "shall consist of six persons; but no jury shall be empaneled to try a civil case unless demanded by one of the parties, who shall pay such jury fee therefor, in advance, as may be prescribed by law, unless the party makes affidavit that the party is unable to pay the jury fee" (section 17).[3]
Since the jurisdiction of County Courts and the judicial functions of the County Judge are both limited "by law"
County Commissioners' Court
Each Texas County is presided over by a
References
- ISBN 9780618382736.
- New York State Unified Court System. October 8, 2013. Retrieved November 30, 2016.
- ^ State of Texas. pp. 17–18.
- ^ a b "Texas Courts: A Descriptive Summary" (PDF). txcourts.gov. State of Texas – Judicial Branch. 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ a b c Rice, Harvey (December 2, 2011). "Galveston County judge's courtroom ability raises concern". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved November 28, 2016.
- ^ Swinney, Connie (December 16, 2014). "Outgoing Burnet, Llano county judges reflect on service". DailyTrib.com (formerly the River Cities Tribune). Retrieved November 29, 2016.
- ^ a b "County Commissioner". county.org. Texas Association of Counties. 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ a b "County Judge". county.org. Texas Association of Counties. 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ^ Dick Smith (12 June 2010). "COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' COURT". Texas Handbook Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
- ^ a b c Brooks, David B. (2016). "Guide to Texas Laws for County Officials" (PDF). county.org. Texas Association of Counties. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 29, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2016.
- ISBN 9781625855824.