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Texas Statutes (Last Updated: January 4, 2014) |
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GOVERNMENT CODE |
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Title 2. JUDICIAL BRANCH |
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Subtitle F. COURT ADMINISTRATION |
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Chapter 71. TEXAS JUDICIAL COUNCIL |
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Subchapter C. POWERS AND DUTIES |
Sec. 71.035. STATISTICS; ENFORCEMENT BY MANDAMUS
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(a) The council shall gather judicial statistics and other pertinent information from the several state judges and other court officials of this state. In addition, the council shall implement a monthly tracking system to ensure accountability for counties and courts which participate in the statewide integrated system for child support and medical support enforcement established under Section 231.0011, Family Code. As a duty of office, the district clerks and county clerks serving the affected courts shall report monthly such information as may be required by the council, including, at a minimum, the time required to enforce cases from date of delinquency, from date of filing, and from date of service until date of disposition. Such information as is necessary to complete the report and not directly within the control of the district or county clerk, such as date of delinquency, shall be provided to the clerk by the child support registry or by the enforcement agency providing Title IV-D enforcement services in the court. The monthly report shall be transmitted to the Office of Court Administration of the Texas Judicial System no later than the 20th day of the month following the month reported, in such form as may be prescribed by the Office of Court Administration, which may include electronic data transfer. Copies of such reports shall be maintained in the office of the appropriate district or county clerk for a period of at least two years and shall be available to the public for inspection and reproduction.
(b) The council may require a state justice, judge, clerk, or other court official, as an official duty, to comply with reasonable requirements for supplying statistics pertaining to the amount and character of the civil and criminal business transacted by the court or other information on the conduct, operation, or business of his court or the office of the clerk of his court that is within the scope of the functions of the council. If the official does not supply the information within a reasonable time after the request, he is presumed to have wilfully refused the request. The council shall prescribe procedures, definitions of terms, and forms for supplying the statistics and other information.
(c) The duty provided by this section to supply information may be enforced by writ of mandamus in:
(1) the district court of the county of residence of the respondent if the petition for mandamus is filed against a district clerk or a clerk, judge, or other official of a trial court other than a district court;
(2) the court of appeals for the court of appeals district in which the respondent resides if the petition for mandamus is filed against a district judge or a clerk of a court of appeals; or
(3) the supreme court in any other case.
(d) Except as provided by this subsection, the attorney general shall file and prosecute an action for mandamus on behalf of the council if requested to do so in writing by the council. To be valid, the written request must be signed by the chair or by at least 11 members of the council. The attorney general may refuse to file an action if he certifies in writing that the action is without merit.