The Office of Court Administration (OCA) recently released its FY 2017 Annual Statistical Report for the Texas Judiciary, and it reveals some interesting statewide case trends.
Statewide highlights include:
- The number of new civil cases filed in district and county courts increased by 8 percent each in 2017, while the number of civil cases filed in justice courts increased by 15 percent.
- About three-quarters of the new civil cases in 2017 were filed in municipal and justice courts.
- The total number of new family law cases filed remained steady over the past year, however the number of child protection cases filed has increased by 26 percent over the past five years.
- The number of new misdemeanor cases filed has declined by almost one-third over the last decade.
- The number of fine-only misdemeanor traffic and parking cases filed has decreased by 39 percent from its highest point in 2006.
- The number of applications filed for involuntary mental health commitment increased to an all-time high of more than 49,000 cases in FY 2017.
Additional information about the report and other data is available on the Office of Court Administration’s website.