The Third Court of Appeals hears both civil and criminal appeals arising from a district court or county-court-at-law in any of the 24 counties shown in the map above. In a civil case, the judgment must be for at least $100 before an appeal can be taken to a court of appeals. On the criminal side, the only type of appeal that is not heard by a court of appeals is a case in which the death penalty has been assessed.
The Third Court, which is located in Austin, is one of 14 intermediate appellate courts in the State of Texas. They are called "intermediate" courts because they are "in between" the trial courts and the State's two highest courts, the Texas Supreme Court (for civil cases) and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (for criminal cases).
The Third Court is composed of a chief justice and five justices. The Court sits in panels of three justices, except on rare occasions when all six justices decide to hear a case. The justices are elected to six-year terms. All court of appeals justices must be at least 35 years of age, a citizen of Texas, licensed to practice law in Texas, and must have practiced law (or have been a lawyer and a judge of a court of record together) for at least ten years.
For more information, visit the Third Court of Appeals website.
