Ennis Municipal Court, Texas

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The Ennis Municipal Court resides in Texas. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...

* Jurisdiction
* Selection method

## Contents

* 1 Jurisdiction
* 2 Selection method
* 2.1 Judicial elections in Texas
* 2.2 Primary election
* 2.3 General election
* 3 See also
* 4 External links
* 5 Footnotes

## Jurisdiction[edit]

This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]

“  | Under its authority to create such other courts as may be necessary, the Texas Legislature has created municipal courts in each of the incorporated cities of the State. The larger cities are served by multiple courts, the number depending upon the population of the city and the needs of the public.

These courts have original and exclusive jurisdiction over violations of city ordinances and, within the city limits, have concurrent jurisdiction with justice of the peace courts over Class C misdemeanor criminal cases where the punishment upon conviction is by small fine only. When city ordinances relating to fire safety, zoning, and public health are violated, fines of up to $2,000 may be charged, when authorized by the governing body of the city. Fines of up to $4,000 may be charged for dumping of refuse. Municipal judges may issue search or arrest warrants. These courts do not have jurisdiction in most civil cases but do have limited civil jurisdiction in cases which involve owners of dangerous dogs.[2]

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## Selection method[edit]

See also: Judicial selection in the states

The rules regarding judges of the Texas Municipal Courts vary by each city's charter. The majority of the judges are appointed to a two-year term by the city's governing body, though some instead compete in partisan elections.[3][4]

### Judicial elections in Texas[edit]

See also: Texas judicial elections

Texas is one of five states that uses partisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.

### Primary election[edit]

Partisan primaries are held if even one candidate has filed for a position. To advance to the general election, a candidate must win a majority (over 50 percent) of the vote. If no candidate in a race wins the majority—as in cases where more than two candidates are competing for a seat—a runoff election is held between the top two candidates.[5][6]

Though Texas officially has closed primaries (requiring that voters declare party affiliation in advance in order to participate), the state's primaries are functionally open: registered voters may vote in any single party's primary if they have not voted in the primary of another party. The elections are closed, however, in that voters may not participate in the proceedings (a runoff primary or a convention) of another party thereafter.[5]

### General election[edit]

The winning candidates from each major party's primary, as well as any additional minor party candidates, compete in a general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. If a candidate was unopposed in the general election, his or her name will still appear on the general election ballot.[5][7]

## See also[edit]

Local Courts

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## External links[edit]

* Search Google News for this topic
* Texas courts

## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Texas Judicial Branch, "About Texas Courts," accessed May 22, 2023
2. ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
3. ↑ Texas Secretary of State, "Qualifications for Office," accessed January 14, 2016
4. ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Texas; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 3, 2014
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The University of Texas at Austin: Texas Politics, "Winning Public Office: General Elections and Special Elections," January 29, 2014
6. ↑ Texas Election Code, "Title 10, Sec. 172.003 and 172.004," accessed May 1, 2014
7. ↑ Office of the Secretary of State, 1992-Current Election History (Select "2012 General" & "County Race"; then click "Anderson" to view sample results)

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