ATTENTION - Special Rules in Effect for Pandemic:
The following applies only to the 245th District Court and is effective 03/23/2020. These policies are made are pursuant to the Texas Supreme Court’s emergency orders that can be read here.
1. Until further notice, there will be no in-person hearings in the 245th. Effective 3/24/2020, the Office of the County Engineer has closed all family court courtrooms, such that in person appearances may NOT occur, except for essential hearings (see #3, below) that may only take place if authorized in the following courtrooms: 280th, 310th, & 312th. The County Engineer's order is available here.
2. All hearings that were set between 03/16/2020 and 03/23/2020 have been canceled and will need to be rescheduled.
3. Beginning on 03/24/2020, all oral hearings in the 245th shall take place by video conference using Zoom. Essential Court Matters (hearings), as defined in the Family Courts Joint Statement Regarding Health and Safety Concerns, shall occur via Zoom ONLY.
4. The only means of having an Essential Court Matter set for oral hearing physically in a court is to obtain leave of court from the 245th as it will need to coordinate with the 310th or 312th to schedule use of their courtroom. Do not appear at the 245th, or any of those other courts, unless you receive confirmation leave of court was granted for a physical hearing and have been directed which courtroom in which same will occur.
5. For the time being, non-essential matters may be set BY AGREEMENT OF ALL PARTIES via the 245th's online docketing system, which will generate the Zoom meeting details (link) that will be included in your confirmation information and e-mail. Notice of hearing included in the filing must state the parties AGREE to have their non-essential hearing occur via Zoom, and must contain the Zoom conference details (link) generated by the scheduling system so that there is proof of service of the hearing details on all parties entitled to notice. Do not set a non-essential hearing without prior agreement of the other party to conduct the hearing via Zoom.
6. Review the Court's updated policies, which include additional details on hearings conducted electronically via Zoom.
245th Family District Court Policies and Procedures
Version 12, posted 3/23/2020
Late "call" e-mail address: 245late@justex.net.
Please include time estimate for late appearance (how late is the attorney running) and the other court(s) the attorney is in.
If an agreed order or other matter is filed that requires the signature of one of the judges of the court, please e-mail one of the clerks or schedule your matter in the "Signing Box" meeting through the online docketing to make sure the item needing review is routed to the appropriate judge's box for signing.
You must use the below link to schedule a preferential setting. Review the court's policies prior to scheduling and, if you have any questions after reviewing those, make sure to check the Frequently Asked Questions page.
Click Here for Online Scheduling*
*FAILURE TO RELEASE PREFERENTIAL SETTINGS IMMEDIATELY AFTER LEARNING THAT HEARING IS NO LONGER NEEDED MAY RESULT IN LOSS OF ACCESS TO ONLINE SCHEDULING. PLEASE BE CONSIDERATE OF THE COURT'S TIME AS FAILURE TO RELEASE THAT TIME DEPRIVES OTHERS OF HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD BY THE COURT DURING THAT TIME.
YouTube Live Stream Channel for Zoom Hearings
Voucher Information Processing System ("VIPS")
The 245th District Court has transitioned to using the VIPS system for submission of payment vouchers. Newly submitted vouchers must use this new format/system. If you are unfamiliar with this system, please review the materials at the following website: https://attyportal.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/App-Support.aspx.