Bill
HB 1122
84(R) - 2015
House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
Juries
Vote Recommendation
Yes
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Neutral
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Positive
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Neutral
Author(s)
Travis Clardy
Co-Author(s)
Jason Villalba
Bill Caption
Relating to civil jurisdiction of, and the number of jurors required in, certain civil cases pending in a statutory county court.
Fiscal Notes
No significant fiscal implication to the State.
Local Government Impact
The fiscal implications of the bill for local governments are
indeterminate. The Office of Court Administration assumes most
statutory county courts' jurisdiction is capped at $200,000 and would
not be impacted by the bill. However, there may be some fiscal impact
to counties related to additional juror pay that would vary depending on
the number of civil jury trials where the amount in controversy exceeds
$200,000 in counties where the statutory county courts' jurisdiction
exceeds $200,000. In addition, there is likely to be some fiscal impact
to counties that would need to modify courtroom space to accommodate
changes required by the bill since most statutory county courts have
space for only 6-8 jurors.
Bill Analysis
HB 1122 would amend Government Code to add a provision that a jury be composed
of 12 members. The procedures for jury selection and jury panels would
be in the same in county district courts when the amount in controversy
is $200,000 or more.
Vote Recommendation Notes
Currently, Texas only has six person juries for county court civil
cases, in contrast to cases held in state district courts which have
twelve person juries. The issue that the bill addresses is that fourteen
counties give their courts full concurrent jurisdiction in civil
matters with no monetary limit, which means complex cases can be tried
by six person juries. Attorneys may 'shop' around since six person
juries are weaker. According to accepted research, twelve person juries
are better overall for rendering a decision.
SB 824 would
affirm the principle of limited government, since it addresses a
legitimate role of government and would fix a crack in the justice
system that could result in unjust court decisions, therefore we support
this legislation.