What does “Presiding Court” Mean?
Presiding court means to be in charge of a court or judicial district. The Bexar County Presiding Court is a court in Bexar County, Texas that handles civil cases. The Presiding Court hears all non-jury matters. There are two dockets in the morning that are called and one docket in the afternoon that is called.
The 8:30 a.m. morning docket the Presiding Court will hear the matters and make decisions as necessary. If needed, the Presiding Judge will assign the case to be heard by one of the 14 Civil District Judges assigned to Bexar County. The same process happens for the 9:00 a.m. docket.
The main difference between the 8:30 a.m. docket and the 9:00 a.m. is evidence. The 8:30 a.m. docket is non-evidentiary and the 9:00 a.m. docket is where you introduce evidence such testimony of the parties and witnesses, documents for the judge to review.
How does this work?
A civil case is filed and then assigned to a Court. If a matter has to be heard by a Judge because the parties cannot come to an agreement, then the case is set for hearing on either the 8:30 a.m. docket or 9:00 a.m. docket. This first step happens in the Presiding Court. Once the docket time is determined, you will appear by Zoom or in person to the Presiding Court. The Presiding Court will then determine how to reassign you to one of the 14 Civil District Court Judges to hear your matter.
What is the Presiding Judge responsible for?
The Presiding Judge is responsible for calling the dockets by cause number, maintaining calendars, and signing orders presented.
Where is the Presiding Court located in Bexar County?
The Bexar County Presiding Court room is located at 100 Dolorosa, Suite 1.09, San Antonio, Texas 78205.
How long will the court hearing take?
This process varies based on your case. If the docket is busy, which it usually you may be waiting all day to be assigned to a judge to hear your case. Your legal team will prepare you for the details of what to expect and how long you will be.