Job description
The legal jurisdiction of the special county-level trial courts varies considerably and is established by the statute which creates the particular court. The jurisdiction of statutorily-created county courts at law may be concurrent with the jurisdiction of the county and district courts in the county. The civil jurisdiction of most county courts at law varies but is usually more than that of the justice of the peace courts and less than that of the district courts. County courts at law usually have appellate jurisdiction in cases appealed from justice of the peace and municipal courts.
Eligibility requirements
Candidate must be a citizen of U.S., age 25 or older; a resident of the county for at least 2 years; and a licensed attorney who has practiced law or served as a judge for 4 years.
Filing instructions
Filing office address: 1844 Fredericksburg Rd, San Antonio, TX 78201 (Democrats); 10300 Heritage Blvd, Suite 240, San Antonio, TX 78216 (Republicans); 101 W Nueva St, 10th Floor, San Antonio, TX 78205 (Independents)
Filing phone number: 210-504-0507 (Democrats); 210-824-9445 (Republicans); 210-335-3019 (Independents)
Paperwork instructions: Submit paperwork to the office of the county party chair; Independent candidates must submit paperwork to the county judge's office.
Filing requirements: Major party-affiliated candidates should file an application for a place on the ballot to their respective county party chair. This should be accompanied by a filing fee of $1,500. The filing fee may be waived if the petition has been signed by at least 500 valid electors. Candidates in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Tarrant Counties have a higher filing fee of $2,500 and must also receive 250 petition signatures (or 750 signatures in lieu of a filing fee). Minor party candidates should consult with their respective party chair to determine requirements. Independent candidates should file a Declaration of Intent to Run as an Independent Candidate during the primary filing period. In addition, independent candidates will need to collect a number of signatures equal to 5% of the number of votes cast within the district in the most recent gubernatorial election (or 500 signatures whichever is lower) in support of their application for a place on the general election ballot and submit these to the county judge. All forms can be found on the Texas Secretary of State website.