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Texapedia is the most reliable, comprehensive, up-to-date encyclopedia of government and civics in the State of Texas. Explore more than 140 articles about the state’s laws, institutions, and elected officials.

Information in this online encyclopedia is drawn from primary sources, including Texas laws, government publications and data, and the Texas Constitution.

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One is for civil cases and the other for criminal cases! Learn more.

Each county is headed by a county judge. But not a “judge” in the usual sense. Learn more.

Jails hold pre-trail defendants, while prisons only hold convicted felons. Learn more.

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The Influence of Spanish Law in Texas

Texas was originally part of New Spain and the Republic of Mexico. Revolution of 1835 and Texas’s subsequent annexation by the United States meant a decisive turn toward Anglo-American law. But Texas retained vestiges of Spanish legal influence, which in turn have also influenced law throughout the United States.

Community Supervision

Community supervision is an alternative to incarceration in Texas after a defendant has pleaded guilty to a crime or been convicted of a crime.