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Jhe Attorney General of Texas c
0':lrober
1. 1985'.'
JIM MATTOX
Attorney General .
.~. . -
Supreme Court Building HonorableTim Curry '~:~. .% s opinionwo.m-358
P. 0. Box 12546
hlh. TX. 76711. 2546
CriminalDistrictAttorney ..Li’ ;.:I’ ~, i? - ..:~.. .~ .~. 1
512l475.2501 200 West BelknapSmeet 1 ;.:':I: .Re:-.Whether a separate docket
‘Telex 910/67*.1287 Port Worth, Texas .76196 -' .-.'~- sheet la requiredfor the criminal
t eiecopier 5121475am _. :, .'I 3:.. docketkept by districtclerks
:r:.%
I
714 Jackson. Suite 700
Dear Hr. C&y: -i .~: j-....', 7 :: :.
Dallas. TX. 75202-4506
2141742-8944 You inquire- whether a d2stric; clerk's duty'to keep a criminal
docket requires (I,clerk to maintain a separate docket sheet in
4624 Alberta Ave.. Suits 160
criminal cases if xhe informationis also kept 011the file jacket.
El Paso, TX. 769052793
You advise us that, during the pendeucy of criminal cases, your
91515333404 districtclerk recmxcdson the preprintedfile jacket of each case all
pertinent informstim regarding,the style and file number, names of
counsel, nature of the case, and subsequent actions and, on the
lW1 Texas. Suite 700 dispositionof tLz case, the InformatIonfrom the preprinted file
Houston. TX. 77002.3111
7131222-5855
jacket is typed on s separatedocket sheet which is placed inside the
jacket. In addition. all entries on the file jacket are being
microfilmedto inswe their preservation.
806 Broadway, Suite 312
Lubbock. TX. 7S4OM479 You inquire about the docket describedby article 33.07 of the
8061747.5236
Code of CriminalPmcedure. It provides:
4303 N. ienlh. Suite S Each clerk of a court of recordhaving criminal
McAllen. TX. 76501-1665 juriadic!:!ion
shall keep a docket in which shall be
51216624547
-
set don1 the style and file number of each
criminal action, the nature of the offense, the
200 Main Plaza. Suite 400 names of counsel,the proceedingshad therein,and
San Antonio, TX. 762052797 the date of each proceeding.
51212254191
See also
. Code
_ .Grim,
..I Proc. art. 33.08 (courtscontroltheir dockets for
setting or crm1na.L cases).
An Equal OpportunityI
Ailirmalire Aclion Employer ..
The word "dockmet"has mme.rous mea&s. It may be an index of
all cases filed in numerical and ~alphabeticalorder, a list or
calendarof pendingjudicial,aatters that are set for specificaction.
end a record or history of all proceedingsand actions taken in a
particularmatter or ease. -See Ballentine'sLav Dictionary366 (3rd
ed. 1?69).
p!.1636
BonorablcTim Curry - Page 2 (JM-358)
For civil cases, the Texas Bules of Civil Procedure require the
district clerks to keep a file docket "in convenient form,” showing
the number of the suit. ormar of attorneys and parties to the suit,
the nature of the suit. thltofficer'rreturn 00 the process. aud all
subsequantproceedingsin tlhc care. Rule 25. The clerks must also
keep "a court docket in a well bound book" that includes the pleas-.
motions,and rulings of the courtin each action. Rule 26.
' The Code of CriminalI'xocedure specifiesonly the informationto
be kept for the docket that is mandatedby article33.07, which is, in
our opinion, a docket indwiug all csaea. not a file docket. con-
sequently,it has no bearing ou the manner in vhich the file docket is
to be kept. We concludetlat a clerk who msintaiusa criminaldocket
on a case file jacket in a s,afe and efficientmanner complieswith the
statutoryrequirementand tbat your clerk may use the preprintedfile
jacket aa tbe record of the :necessary information.
A district clerk msy use the case file jacket
to maintain a file. docket without maintainingthe
sane informationon a sepsrata sheet inside the
jacket.
.
‘JIbt MATTOX
Attorney General of Texas
TON CREBN
First AssistantAttorneyGeneera
DAVID R. RICHARDS
ExecutiveAssistantAttorneg General
ROBERTGRAY
Syeci~lAssistant Attorney Iteneral
RICE GILPIN
Chairman,Opinion Committee .
Preparedby Nancy Sutton ani
Sarah Woelk
AssistantAttorneysGeneral
,
p. 1637
HonorableTim Curry - Page 3 ml-358)
APPROVED:
OPINION COHHITTEE
Rick Gilpin.Chairman
Susan Garrison
Jim Moellinger
JenniferRiggs
Nancy Sutton
Sarah Woelk
Bruce Youngblood
p. 1638