Archive: Political and/or Judicial

Reuters reports a recent American Association for Justice report “reveals a glaring lack of diversity among arbitrators, the ultimate decision-makers in a form of alternative dispute resolution that businesses have utilized with stunning efficiency to limit Americans’ access to court.” The association “analyzed self-reported demographic data from the two largest consumer and employment arbitration providers in […]

Harris County jurors will now receive free parking, coffee, and meal vouchers as part of a plan by District Clerk Marilyn Burgess to improve jury attendance. Historically, jury participation has been low in Harris County. In recent years, it has been in the 20 percent range, with participation of African Americans and Hispanics at even […]

Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order this week forbidding local and state officials from setting mask mandates does not apply to the judiciary, a spokesman for the Supreme Court of Texas said. There is no conflict between Abbott’s order, which sets a $1,000 fine for state government officials or entities that impose face-covering mandates to combat […]

Under new court rules, highly sensitive documents will have to be printed and hand-delivered to the courthouse. The new rules for filing sensitive documents are one of the clearest ways the hack has affected the court system. Read Article: WFAA.com From the Texas Trial Lawyers Association news release.  

Texas courthouses no longer need a state safety review before conducting in-person hearings, including jury trials. And requirements that people wear masks and socially distance will be left up to local officials, according to the court’s revised emergency order issued Friday. Read Article: Texas Tribune From the Texas Trial Lawyers Association news release.  

Reuters reports “thousands of state and local judges across America” have been “allowed to keep positions of extraordinary power and prestige after violating judicial ethics rules or breaking laws they pledged to uphold, a Reuters investigation found.” Reuters looked at “1,509 cases from the last dozen years – 2008 through 2019 – in which judges resigned, […]

The right to a jury trial in lawsuits is enshrined in the Seventh Amendment. And the portrayal of civil suits is central to American popular culture, but what people learn from civics classes, popular fiction, and television melodramas doesn’t always reflect reality. By Jay M. Feinman, Distinguished Professor at Rutgers Law School Read Article: The […]

Virtual court proceedings will probably outlive the Covid-19 pandemic, as even skeptical judges and lawyers say that they’ve made depositions, oral arguments, and jury selection much more efficient. Read Article: Bloomberg From the Texas Trial Lawyers Association news release.

9 million cases were filed in Texas state courts in 2019, according to the state judiciary’s most recent annual statistical report. The civil docket comprised 1.6 million of those filings, according to the report, which covers the state’s fiscal year. The numbers of civil cases in district courts increased by 11% from 2018 to 2019. […]

According to a study issued Monday by the Haynes and Boone law firm, litigants in civil disputes that end up in the Texas courts of appeals have been treated much more evenly in 2019 than they were in 2018. Read Article: Houston Chronicle From the Texas Trial Lawyers Association news release.