Sec. 51.204. RECORDS OF COURT

(a) The clerk of a court of appeals shall:

(1) file and carefully preserve records certified to the court and papers relative to the record;

(2) docket causes in the order in which they are filed;

(3) record the proceedings of the court except opinions and orders on motions; and

(4) certify the judgments of the court to the proper courts.

(b) On the issuance of the mandate in each case, the clerk shall notify the attorneys of record in the case that:

(1) exhibits submitted to the court by a party may be withdrawn by that party or the party's attorney of record; and

(2) exhibits on file with the court will be destroyed three years after final disposition of the case or at an earlier date if ordered by the court.

(c) Not sooner than the 60th day and not later than the 90th day after the date of final disposition of a criminal case, the clerk shall remove and destroy all duplicate papers in the file on record of that case.

(d) Six years after the final disposition of a civil case in the court, the clerk shall, not sooner than the 90th day after the date the clerk provides notice to the district or county clerk, destroy all records filed in the court related to the case except:

(1) records that the clerk of the trial court requests be returned to the trial court for preservation in accordance with records retention schedules for records of district and county clerks issued under Section 441.158 and applicable rules of the supreme court;

(2) records that, in the opinion of the clerk or other person designated by the court, contain highly concentrated, unique, and valuable information unlikely to be found in any other source available to researchers;

(3) indexes, original opinions, minutes, and general court dockets unless the documents are microfilmed in accordance with this section for permanent retention, in which case the original document shall be destroyed; and

(4) other records of the court determined to be archival state records under Section 441.186.

(e) Twenty-five years after the final disposition of a criminal case to which this subsection applies, the clerk shall destroy all records relating to the case, other than a record described by Subsection (d)(2), (3), or (4). This subsection applies to a criminal case in which the sentence, suspended sentence, term of community supervision, combined sentence and term of community supervision, cumulative sentences or terms of community supervision, or the longest sentence or term of community supervision of two or more sentences or terms of community supervision to be served concurrently is 20 years or less.

(f) The clerk shall retain other records of the court, such as financial records, administrative correspondence, and other materials not related to particular cases in accordance with Section 441.185.

(g) Before microfilming records, the clerk must submit a plan in writing to the justices of a court of appeals for that purpose. If a majority of the justices of a court of appeals determines that the plan meets the requirements of Section 441.188, rules adopted under that section, and any additional standards and procedures the justices may require, the justices shall inform the clerk in writing and the clerk may adopt the plan. The decision of the justices must be entered in the minutes of the court.

Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 480, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985. Amended by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 873, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1999, 76th Leg., ch. 408, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1999.