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The Office of Court Administration is an agency of the Texas judicial branch that operates under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Texas.
The agency’s stated mission is “to provide resources and information for the efficient administration of the Judicial Branch of Texas.”
Programs and Functions
The Office of Court Administration assists the judiciary at various levels. At the appellate level, it provides IT support and financial services.
At the trial court level, the Office of Court Administration provides technical assistance, training, court interpreters, and funding for indigent defense.
Other duties of the Office of Court Administration include:
- providing staffing and administration to child protection courts, child support courts, and other specialty courts;
- maintaining a statewide database of court filings (Re:SearchTX);
- maintaining a registry of protective orders issued by Texas courts; and
- producing a variety of annual statistical reports.
Agency Structure
The Office of Court Administration is headed by a director appointed by the Texas Supreme Court. By statute, the director also serves as the executive director of the Texas Judicial Council.
The Office of Court Administration comprises six departments: Indigent Defense, Certification, Forensic Science, Finance & Operations, Research & Court Services, Legal, and Information Services.
The agency has a staff of 285, according to its FY 2022-2023 budget.
Support to Boards
Several boards and commissions within the judiciary rely on the Office of Court Administration for staffing and technology support. These include:
- Texas Judicial Council
- Judicial Committee on Information Technology
- Council of Chief Justices
- Conference of Regional Presiding Judges
- State Board of Regional Judges for Title IV‐D Account
- Judicial Districts Board
- Judicial Compensation Commission
- Texas Indigent Defense Commission
- Judicial Branch Certification Commission
- Forensic Science Commission
- Texas Commission on Judicial Selection.
Publications
The Office of Court Administration produces an annual statistical report providing statistics from appellate and trial courts and analyses of case activity and trends.
It also produces a biennial report on judicial salaries and turnover, a monthly newsletter, an annual Judicial Directory, a database of trial court activity, an annual summary of court security incidents, and various other reports.
Recent News Coverage
“Monica’s Law”: Texas Public Registry on Abusers Goes Live, Oct. 29, 2020
Texas Judiciary Websites Hacked in Ransomware Attack, May 11, 2020
Backlogs Growing in Texas Judiciary, Especially Civil Cases, Feb. 1, 2020
