Vacancies between elections are filled by gubernatorial appointment with the advice and consent of the Senate. District Courts 1. There are 396 separate district courts, identified by separate numbers, each having its own geographical jurisdiction. Each district court has one judge. In a number of areas, the geographical jurisdiction of two or more district courts is overlapping.
District courts are trial courts of general subject-matter jurisdiction.
County courts at law and constitutional county courts also exercise limited subject-matter jurisdiction over civil suits and thus, to a limited extent, share jurisdiction with the district courts. Individual statutes stipulate maximum amounts in controversy over which each county-level court may exercise jurisdiction. Above such maximum jurisdictional amount of the county-level courts, the district court exercises exclusive jurisdiction. The district courts hear contested matters involved in probate cases and have general supervisory control over commissioners courts. In addition, these courts have general original jurisdiction over all causes of action for which a remedy or jurisdiction is not provided by law or by the Constitution, and have the power to issue writs of habeas corpus, mandamus, injunction, certiorari, sequestration, attachment, garnishment, and all writs necessary to enforce their jurisdiction.