Harris Co. Commission's support push for more civil, family and juvenile courts left out of equation

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- Harris County commissioners have pledged support for the creation of five more civil courts as cases continue to pile up.

Judges called this exciting yet disappointing as they aimed to garner support for nine courts, including an additional juvenile court, for the first time in 50 years.

At this point, there will not be an additional juvenile court in Harris County.

Leaders in the judicial system for well over a year have told 13 Investigates about the rise of violent crimes among teenagers.

Of course, more crime also means more court filings at 1200 Congress Avenue, the Harris County Juvenile Justice Center.

Court administrators told ABC13 they have seen a 261% increase in murder and capital murder filings among juveniles since 2019.

"We are getting more cases into the civil, family, and juvenile courts. More than any one judge can handle, or 67 judges can handle," Harris County administrative judge Latosha Lewis Payne said.

Payne is one of the people pushing in Austin and right here at home for nine more district courts, five more civil courts, three more family courts, and one more juvenile court.

Harris County district judges call it the Texas two-step. The first step is to garner support for more courts from commissioners, and the next thing is fighting for them at the state level in the legislature. The initial proposal was for what officials call the dire need for nine district courts in Harris County: five civil, three family courts, and one juvenile.

With the rise in cases in the civil, family, and juvenile courts, court administrators say it's more than the current courts can handle. The cost for nine additional courts is estimated to be more than $14 million.

On Thursday afternoon, county commissioners went back and forth, questioning where the money would come from to support the potential growth of the judicial system. They also questioned where exactly these new courts could be built out.

More than a dozen attorneys and judges shared the need for these additional courts as the number of cases continued to grow in an ever-evolving county; in the end, three of the five commissioners voted to support the push for five civil courts and tabled the need for additional juvenile and family courts.

"We will continue to do the work of two judges in the juvenile courts. It's just unfortunate they're not getting the support they need in order to do it in a way that makes more sense for the juveniles in those cases and families that are affected," Payne said.

Payne says they are grateful that some of their ask was approved as the next step is to take that support to the legislature - the ultimate deciders on creating the civil courts passed by Commissioners on Thursday.

Payne says Thursday's 'no' for additional family and juvenile courts isn't the end of the road. She said there is a need and they will continue to push to have those needs met to make the judicial system better.

For updates on this story, follow Daniela Hurtado on Facebook, X and Instagram.