The structure of the Texas Courts of Appeals

Texas has fourteen Courts of Appeals throughout the state.  These courts have intermediate appellate jurisdiction (before you go to the Texas Supreme Court in a civil case or the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in a criminal case) in civil and criminal cases appealed from the district or county courts. Each of the fourteen Court of Appeals has jurisdiction over a specific geographical region of Texas. Each individual Court is presided over by a chief justice and several other justices.

Right now, there there are eighty justices authorized by statute for these intermediate appellate courts. If you appeal, your case will aftentimes be heard by a panel of three justices.  Sometimes, an en banc hearing is required or ordered, which means that all the justices of that particular Court decide the case.

I was fortunate to be a Briefing Attorney for Chief Justice Richard Barajas of the Eighth Court of Appeals in El Paso, Texas.  I do not practice appellate law now though.  One of the best appellate lawyers now is Todd Smith in Austin, who I was friends with in my law school days.  He also has a tremendous blog which summarizes current appellate issues.