The First Court of Appeals serves the Houston, Texas Area. The Court consists of nine justices who hear appeals and original proceedings from the ten counties listed below:
- Legal Citation:
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Tex. Const. art. V, § 6.
Tex. Gov't Code Ann. §§ 22.201(b), 22.202, 22.216(a), 22.217–22.228 (Vernon 2004 & Supp. 2009).
Latest News & Updates
- New! Effective Monday, March 8, 2010, availability for the "late-filing" box has changed from 5:01 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. to 5:01 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
- New! Attorney V Job Posting
- New! Administrative Assistant II Job Posting
- New! Law Clerk Positions
- New! The State Bar of Texas (SBOT) and the Houston Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section (HBA) sponsors and administers a pro bono program. The goal of the program is to match a litigant with a civil appeal, who is financially unable to obtain legal representation, with a volunteer lawyer who agrees to serve without expectation of compensation for their service. If you believe that your civil appellate matter might qualify for inclusion in the SBOT/HBA pro bono program, details can be found in the following places: (1) State Bar of Texas Pro Bono Project, http://tex-app.org/probono.php and (2) Houston Bar Association website http://www.hba.org/folder-sections/sec-appellate.htm.
- New! The First Court of Appeals will be closed on Monday, September 6, 2010, to observe a holiday, Labor Day. See Tex. Gov't Code Ann. §§ 662.003, .004, .021, .022 (Vernon 2004). The “late-filing” box is not available on holidays when the Court is closed.
- All documents filed in parental-rights termination cases or juvenile court cases, except for the docketing statement and appellate record, must use alias names. Tex. R. App. 9.8.
- Effective September 1, 2007, the Court of Criminal Appeals has amended the Certification of the Defendant’s Right of Appeal. See Misc. Docket No. 06-105 [pdf], (Tex. Crim. App. Aug. 20, 2007).
- Information on filing documents in civil cases
- Sample certificates of conference, compliance, and service and sample affidavits of indigence
- Information on filing original proceedings
NOTICE FOR COURT REPORTERS
REPORTER'S RECORD Beginning July 1, 2010, and until further notice, the First Court of Appeals will accept a reporter's record filed electronically, but only if it complies with Rule 8 of the Uniform Format Manual for Court Reporters (UFM) approved by the Texas Supreme Court and effective July 1, 2010.
Until an electronic portal is available through the Texas Appeals Management and E-filing System (TAMES), the Court will accept a CD-Rom of the reporter's record that complies with the technical standards and formats set forth in the UFM. If a reporter's record is filed electronically, a paper record should not be filed with the Court.
Court reporters are requested to regularly consult the First Court's website for any future requirements or changes.
To view or print PDF files you must have the Adobe Acrobat® reader. This software may be obtained without charge from Adobe. Download the reader from the Adobe Web site.
Disclaimer: This web site is maintained as a courtesy to the public. Neither the First Court of Appeals, nor any of its officials and employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information posted on this page, subsequent pages, or any other web site to which the Court provides a link. Use of this web site constitutes your understanding and acceptance of these provisions.
Privacy Statement: The First Court of Appeals respects your privacy. Unless you register for and use CaseMail, this web site does not use "cookies" or collect information through other technological means to personally identify users. However, if you send an electronic mail message to the Court that contains personally identifying information, please note that the message may be subject to public access pursuant to Rule of Judicial Administration 12 and any other applicable law. Click here to view the Office of Court Administration's Privacy and Security Policy, which applies to this web site.
Updated: 21-Jul-2010
