Lecture notes for 5/3/99

Texas Railroad Commissioner:  part of the bureaucracy, not the executive branch
     -Three people, voted for 6-year staggered terms, who vote on various topics.
Other state-wide elected officials
     -Judges
     -State board of education members

Court system in the state of Texas
     -Enormous amount of courts, ranging from state to municipal courts
          -Municipal courts
               -Lowest court level
               -Minor criminal matters
                    -Traffic tickets, parking tickets, etc.
               -Cannot try cases which involve prison sentences
               -Appointed by city officials
          -Justice of the Peace
               -Misdemeanor cases
               -Work and compete with county and district courts
          -County courts
               -Restricted within boundaries of the county
               -Has original jurisdiction for cases involving a
                    possibility of jail sentences and/or fines exceeding $500
               -Partisan elections
          -State district courts
               -Misdemeanor to felony cases
               -Principal trial courts for the state
               -Tries civil and criminal cases
               -Partisan elections
               -Vacancies appointed by the governor