Texas Court of Appeals

The Texas Courts of Appeals are part of the Texas judicial system. In Texas, all cases appealed from district and county courts, criminal and civil, go to one of the fifteen intermediate courts of appeals, with one exception: death penalty cases. The latter are taken directly to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort for criminal matters in the State of Texas. The highest court for civil and juvenile matters is the Texas Supreme Court. The First through the Fourteenth Courts of Appeals have geographically-based jurisdiction. The Fifteenth Court of Appeals, established in 2023, has exclusive statewide jurisdiction for civil appeals involving state government institutions and their employees and officers; challenges to the constitutionality of a state statute; and, appeals from the Texas Business Court.