Texas Courts And Subject Matter Jurisdiction

Subject-matter jurisdiction concerns a court's power to hear a case. Without it, a court does not have authority to decide a case. Subject matter jurisdiction is distinct from the concept of personal jurisdiction, which involves a court's power to bind a particular party.

The Texas Court System

The basic structure of the Texas court system was first established by a state constitutional amendment in 1891. The amendment established the Texas Supreme Court (the highest state appellate court for civil matters), and the Court of Criminal Appeals (which makes the final determination in criminal matters). There are 14 intermediate courts of appeals, which exercise intermediate appellate jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases.