Branch

First Court of Appeals

Welcome to the First Court of Appeals, Houston, Texas

The First Court of Appeals serves the Houston, Texas Area. The Court consists of nine justices who hear appeals and original proceedings from ten counties.

Counties Served

Legal Citation

Notice of Record Destruction

April 09, 2018

Beginning July 5, 2018, the First Court of Appeals will begin destruction of records in civil cases that have been finally disposed for at least six years. See TEX. GOV'T CODE ANN. § 51.204(d). Prior to destruction, records requested by a district or county clerk, in accordance with records retention schedules for records of district and county clerks, may be returned to their respective offices. See TEX. GOV'T CODE ANN. § 51.204(d). Additionally, records of the appellate court determined to be archival state records will be forwarded to the Texas State Library and Archives Commission for preservation. Anyone who wishes to suggest that a specific civil case on the attached list or supplemental list should not be destroyed may contact the Clerk of the Court at: HoustonAppellateCourts@txcourts.gov. The deadline to contact the First Court of Appeals is July 5, 2018.

Internships Available

January 25, 2018

Applications are currently being accepted for the Court's internship program. Interested applicants are invited to review the information below before submitting an application. Internships are unpaid, and applications are accepted throughout the year.

Law Clerk Positions Open

April 13, 2017

Applications are currently being accepted for one-year Law Clerk positions to begin Fall 2018. Find out more information by visiting the court's Careers page.

Anders Guidelines

November 08, 2016

If you plan to file an Anders brief and supporting motion to withdraw in a criminal case pending before this Court, please take note of the information contained in the Court's Anders guidelines. As with any brief, compliance with Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 38 is required. See the briefing checklist for a complete list of requirements. These Anders guidelines supplement but do not replace the briefing requirements.

Attorney Record Portal

October 12, 2016

Attorneys practicing before 1^st and 14^th Courts now have access to a record portal that will allow attorneys to download the clerk and reporter records from their offices.

Alias Names in Cases

October 13, 2014

All documents filed in parental-rights termination cases or juvenile court cases, except for the docketing statement and appellate record, must use alias names. Tex. R. App. 9.8

Appellate Pro Bono Program

October 13, 2014

The State Bar of Texas (SBOT) and the Houston Bar Association's Appellate Practice Section (HBA) sponsors and administers a pro bono program. The goal of the program is to match a litigant with a civil appeal, who is financially unable to obtain legal representation, with a volunteer lawyer who agrees to serve without expectation of compensation for their service. If you believe that your civil appellate matter might qualify for inclusion in the SBOT/HBA pro bono program, details can be found in the following places: (1) State Bar of Texas Pro Bono Project, and (2) Houston Bar Association web site.