Your Courts Justice Courts Justice Courts are established by counties and municipalities and have the authority to deal with class B and C misdemeanors, violations of ordinances, small claims, and infractions committed within their territorial jurisdiction. Justice Court jurisdictions are determined by the boundaries of local government entities such as cities or counties, which hire the judges. Some are both county and municipal judges.
Some judges hear cases daily, and others have limited court hours each week.
Justice Court judges need not be attorneys, although they receive extensive and continuing legal training. All Justice Court judges must attend 30 hours of continuing judicial education each year to remain certified. One hundred twenty-eight Justice Court judges serve in 147 county and municipal courts. Click here to find the justice courts in your area. The Justice Court shares jurisdiction with the Juvenile Court over minors 16 or 17 years old, who are charged with certain traffic offenses.