Texas Court of Criminal Appeals

The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest criminal court in the state, holding the same position in the area of state criminal law that the Supreme Court holds in civil law. The Court of Criminal Appeals has appellate jurisdiction in all criminal cases (both felonies and misdemeanors). These records document the activities of the court.

Court of Criminal Appeals records | Petitions for Discretionary Review

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals records, 1892-2012

Creator: Texas. Court of Criminal Appeals
Title: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals records
Dates: 1892-2012
Abstract: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest criminal court in the state, holding the same position in the area of state criminal law that the Supreme Court holds in civil law. The Court of Criminal Appeals has appellate jurisdiction in all criminal cases (both felonies and misdemeanors). These records document the activities of the court. They consist of minutes, opinions, orders, dockets, indexes, account books, correspondence, press releases, and case files that may include transcripts, briefs, exhibits, statements, memoranda, motions, warrants, questionnaires, writs, photographs, videotapes, audio cassettes, and floppy discs, dating 1892-2012.

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The volumes in the Indexes series was digitized by Ancestry.com which has provided copies of the digitized volumes as well as transcription data for each page. Transcription data has been broken into spreadsheets for individual volumes and can be found alongside the indexes. A look-up table derived from the spreadsheets can be found at the Court of Criminal Appeals indexes look-up table page. Use this table to look up information by Appellant or Appellee. Page/image numbers are provided alongside names to assist in locating the entries.

Texas Court of Criminal Appeals petitions for discretionary review files, 1981-1991

Creator: Texas. Court of Criminal Appeals
Title: Texas Court of Criminal Appeals petitions for discretionary review files
Dates: 1981-1991
Abstract: The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest criminal court in the state, holding the same position in the area of state criminal law that the Supreme Court holds in civil law. The Court of Criminal Appeals has appellate jurisdiction in all criminal cases (both felonies and misdemeanors). These records consist of case files resulting from petitions for discretionary review, containing copies of documents filed with the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals—the district clerk’s file (indictments, pleas of the defendant, bills of exception, assignments of error, charges of the court, verdicts and judgments, motions, orders, briefs, sentences, etc.) and statements of fact (the trial transcripts of pre-trial hearings, voir dire of prospective jurors, the guilt/innocence phase, the punishment phase, and exhibits)—as well as documents created for or by the Court of Criminal Appeals (motions, briefs, arguments, orders, opinions, etc.), dating 1981-1991.

Only Docket sheets, a form of case index, have been digitized and are available in the TDA. Please see physical collection materials to access the review files.

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Click here to access the online finding aid