However, the defendant could not request that the trial be moved to Oklahoma City, because Oklahoma courts lack jurisdiction. The municipal courts and justice of the peace courts occupy the lowest rung in the Texas court system. These courts are local trial-level courts of limited jurisdiction. The second tier of Texas' court system is composed of the county-level courts . The three different county-level courts are trial courts of limited jurisdiction.
Probate courts have jurisdiction limited to probate matters.
A significant number of civil and criminal cases in Texas originate in the district-level courts . There are both civil and criminal district courts, which are considered the state trial courts of general jurisdiction. As courts of original jurisdiction, the district courts are where trials are held, witnesses testify, evidence is presented, and judgments are rendered. There are 14 courts of appeals in Texas, each covering a geographic district. Each district has a chief justice and two or more justices.