Nueces County Court Records Lookup

The following is for information purposes only

Named for the Nueces River, Nueces County was created from parts of San Patricio County in 1846, and it covers a total area of 1,166 square miles. Corpus Christi, a major coastal city, serves as its government seat. Nueces County was home to 353,245 people as of 2022. Its court system is made up of four different trial courts namely: District Courts, Justice of the Peace Courts, County Courts at Law, and Municipal Courts.

Nueces County has eight District Courts, each with different locations throughout Corpus Christi. These courts have original jurisdiction in misdemeanor cases involving official misconduct, felonies, contested elections, divorce, and other cases outside the purview of the other courts. The Justice of the Peace Courts handles smaller legal matters such as landlord-tenant disputes, civil cases in which the amount in dispute is up to $20,000, truancy, and class C misdemeanors punishable only by a fine. These courts are located within the cities of Corpus Christi, Robstown, Port Aransas, and Bishop. Furthermore, the County Courts at Law handle misdemeanors, traffic violations, civil lawsuits, and probate matters. Within city and town limits, Municipal Courts preside over minor offenses such as parking violations, code enforcement violations, small claims, and class C misdemeanor offenses. Municipal Courts in Nueces County are located in:

• Aransas Pass
• Bishop
• Corpus Christi
• Driscoll
• Robstown
• Port Aransas

Based on the Annual Statistics Reports, the District Courts in Nueces County finalize over 10,000 cases on an annual basis. They conclude approximately 6,000 criminal, 2,000 civil, and 3,000 family cases yearly. Most cases resolved in the County Courts at Law are related to misdemeanors. These courts handle approximately 4,000 misdemeanor, 1,000 civil, 300 family, and 100 juvenile case dispositions each year. Justice Courts, on the other hand, handle around 18,000 (civil and criminal) case dispositions each year. The District Clerk maintains court records and promotes transparency by providing access (although some cases may be inaccessible without special permission) to public court records through three different methods:

• Paper Request (to obtain copies of records)
• re:SearchTX (for recent records)
• Historical Books (for older records)

In summary, the District, Justice, Municipal, and County Courts make up the judicial government of Nueces County. Collectively, they perform several key functions, including adjudicating criminal offenses and resolving disputes. Moreover, the court system guarantees that the public can access historical and current court records electronically.