Bang the Gavel to Call the New Business Courts to Order

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Get ready, Houston! New courts are coming to town. Beginning on September 1, 2024, Houston will be home to the newly established Eleventh Business Court Division. Proposed by House Bill 19 in 2023, the business courts are special trial courts designed to resolve complex commercial business disputes. According to the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee Report, legislators sought to "strengthen Texas' reputation as the best state in which to conduct business by creating a specialized business trial court to streamline resolutions of business disputes." The business courts are divided among 11 divisions corresponding to the Administrative Judicial Regions, which encompass all counties within the state. The Eleventh Business Court Division, of which Houston is a part, covers Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Matagorda, and Wharton Counties. 

The business courts were created under the power granted to the Legislature pursuant to Article V, § 1 of the Texas Constitution and are governed by Chapter 25A of the Texas Government Code. The statute delineates, among other things, the jurisdiction and powers of the courts, the qualifications of the judges, and procedural items such as initial filings, appeals, and jury trials. Some things to know: