Search Cameron County District Court Records

Cameron County District Courts Overview

District courts are the general trial courts in Texas. They handle the heavy cases. That means felony criminal charges, divorce, custody, child support, adoption, large civil suits, and juvenile matters. In Cameron County, these courts work from the judicial building in central Brownsville. Each numbered court has a judge, a court coordinator, a reporter, a bailiff, and a court clerk. The bench posts dockets by court and by date, and some courts still list a Zoom number or a YouTube link from the remote-hearing period.

Cameron County sits at the far south of Texas, with Brownsville as the county seat. Its district courts serve a busy border region. Appeals from these courts generally go to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals, which sits in Corpus Christi and Edinburg. The Texas Judicial Branch describes how this whole system fits together. You can see the statewide chart on the Texas court structure page, which explains where district courts rank.

Most day to day court business runs through the District Clerk. That office files, records, and keeps the district court civil and criminal records.

List of Cameron County District Courts

The county lists nine numbered district courts. Several handle a mix of criminal, civil, and family work, while the 444th hosts the veterans court program. The official county site posts a judge, staff, and docket links for each one. Where the research did not capture a current judge name, the entry below says so. Confirm any judge, phone, or docket on the Cameron County District Courts page.

All nine courts share the same Brownsville judicial building address. The phone, staff, and docket details change by court, so use the county page or the court dockets page to confirm a current setting.

The official county page is the best source for the current bench and contacts. The Cameron County District Courts page posts each judge, court staff, phone, and docket links in one place.

From that page you can open a specific court and reach its coordinator for a civil or criminal setting.

District Court vs County Court at Law vs Justice Court

Texas splits trial work across several courts. The dollar size of a civil case and the level of a crime decide where it lands. District courts take felonies and the larger civil and family matters. County courts at law take misdemeanors and mid-size civil disputes. Justice and municipal courts take small claims, evictions, and fine-only offenses. The table below shows the broad split for Cameron County.

This split is why a divorce or felony file sits with the District Clerk, while a misdemeanor or county civil case sits with the County Clerk. A ticket usually stays in a justice or municipal court named on the citation.

How a Case Moves Through the System

A case does not start and end in one court. It can move up the ladder as it goes. The general path for Cameron County runs from the lowest court to the appeals court. Not every case touches every step, but the order helps you know where to look.

Case flow: Justice Court › County Court at Law › District Court › Thirteenth Court of Appeals

Criminal and civil cases follow their own tracks inside the district court. A criminal case moves from arrest to magistrate, then indictment, arraignment, pretrial, trial, and sentencing. A civil case moves from petition to answer, discovery, mediation, trial, and judgment. Either side may appeal a final ruling, and that appeal usually goes to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals. Civil cases can reach the Supreme Court of Texas for final review, while criminal cases can reach the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Civil, Family, and Criminal Case Types

District courts in Cameron County hear a wide mix of cases. The court does not split into named divisions the way some big urban counties do, but each case type follows its own rules. Criminal work covers felonies, from theft and drug charges to assault and more serious offenses. Family work covers divorce, custody, child support, and adoption. Civil work covers larger money disputes, personal injury, title and lien cases, and other matters set by statute.

The District Clerk page reports the scale of this work. The office handles roughly 7,300 cases filed and 9,000 disposed each year, with about 5,000 pending at any time. Filed case types include personal injury, divorces, workers compensation, adoptions, and child support. The common record types are described on the court records page, which breaks down what each file holds.

• Felony criminal cases, including indictment, plea, and judgment.
• Divorce and family cases, including custody and support.
• Adoption cases, which are confidential under Texas law.
• Large civil suits and personal injury claims.
• Juvenile matters, which carry their own access limits.

The Cameron County District Clerk's Role

The District Clerk is the keeper of district court records. Laura Perez-Reyes is the Cameron County District Clerk. The office is the registrar, recorder, and custodian of documents in district court civil and criminal actions. It provides support staff for the courts and works with judges to move cases to a timely end. Departments handle appeals, civil, criminal, jury, juvenile, child support, passports, records, and collections, each with its own phone line.

For a copy of a district court file, the Records Department is the main contact at dcrecords@co.cameron.tx.us and (956) 574-8130. Expunction requests go to dcexpunctions@co.cameron.tx.us and (956) 544-0839. Full detail on services, forms, and fees sits on the District Clerk page.

One recent change affects appointed-attorney billing. Effective June 1, 2024, attorney expense claims moved to the state TechShare indigent defense portal, and the clerks no longer take those vouchers by e-file. Attorneys set up an account at the TechShare attorney portal.

This change matters mostly to appointed counsel, not to the public requesting a court file.

Note: Felony and divorce files are District Clerk records, while misdemeanors and probate are County Clerk records, so confirm the office before you request a copy.

Dockets and Hearings in Cameron County

Each district court posts its own docket. A docket is a dated list of settings, such as arraignments, civil hearings, criminal hearings, and jail dockets. The county posts these as PDF or DOC files by court and by date. Some 2026 dockets cover arraignment, civil, criminal, and jail settings, which shows the courts update calendars often.

Hearing format can vary by court. Most district courts now hold pending matters in person unless a judge orders otherwise. A few courts still list a Zoom meeting number and password or a YouTube link for public viewing. The court dockets page explains how to read a docket and find a setting by court and date.

The county and District Clerk also link iDocket for judicial records and court calendars. The iDocket district court calendar shows posted settings tied to the District Clerk.

The calendar can be a fast way to find this week's setting without opening a full case search.

Full records access through iDocket may need an account. The iDocket sign-in portal is the login the county links for judicial records.

Public calendars may be visible without a login, while detailed records can sit behind the sign-in.

Appeals to the Thirteenth Court of Appeals

When a party loses in a Cameron County district court, the next step is usually an appeal. Cameron County sits in the Thirteenth Court of Appeals district, based in Corpus Christi and Edinburg. This is an intermediate court. It reviews the record and legal rulings from the trial court. The District Clerk Appeals Department helps move appellate documents and can be reached at (956) 550-1748.

The Thirteenth Court is not the last stop in every case. Civil and juvenile matters can reach the Supreme Court of Texas for final review. Criminal matters can reach the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. You can read about the appellate court and its work on the Thirteenth Court of Appeals page.

The District Clerk links this court for appellate information, so it is the right starting point after a trial-court ruling.

Specialty Courts in Cameron County

Cameron County runs problem-solving court programs. These focus on treatment instead of jail. The state specialty-court registry lists a Cameron County veterans court tied to the 444th District Court. The Texas Judicial Commission on Mental Health lists a Cameron County Mental Health Divert Court serving Cameron and Willacy counties. These programs use court supervision, treatment plans, and regular check-ins for people whose cases involve mental health or military service needs.

Pretrial Services supports the courts from the other side. The office screens defendants for court-appointed attorneys and serves district, county, magistrate, and municipal courts. Eligibility is not automatic, and missing documents slow the process. More background on prosecution and arrest data sits on the arrest records page.

County, Justice, and Municipal Courts

Cameron County also has county courts at law, justice of the peace courts, and municipal courts. County Court at Law No. 1, with Hon. Arturo A. McDonald Jr., sits at 974 E. Harrison St. and can be reached at (956) 544-0855. There are five county courts at law in all, handling misdemeanors and county civil cases. These dockets and records run through the County Clerk.

Justice of the peace courts handle small claims, debt claims, evictions, and fine-only offenses, plus magistrate duties after arrest. Municipal courts in Brownsville, Harlingen, San Benito, Port Isabel, South Padre Island, and other cities handle city tickets and ordinance cases. A citation belongs to the court named on the ticket, not always to a county portal. See the Cameron County Courts at Law page for county-court detail.

Federal Courts Serving Cameron County

State district courts are not the only trial courts in the area. Cameron County sits in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Brownsville Division. That division mainly covers Cameron and Willacy counties. Federal cases include federal crimes, civil rights, immigration-related federal matters, and federal civil actions. These are separate from county court files, and this distinction matters in a border county where federal enforcement is common.

The federal trial court runs its own website and dockets. View the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas for divisions, rules, and court information.

The Brownsville Division of this court is the federal trial court for most Cameron County federal cases.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecutes federal crimes in the district. The U.S. Attorney divisions page confirms that the Brownsville Division primarily covers Willacy and Cameron counties.

That office handles federal prosecution, while local crimes still run through the county courts.

The main U.S. Attorney site adds news, contacts, and program detail. See the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas for the office overview.

Victim assistance and law-enforcement coordination for federal matters also run through this office.

Federal records are searched through PACER, the official federal access system, not the county portals. Users register, search by party or case number, and may pay per-page fees unless exempt. Register and search on PACER, the official federal court records system.

Bankruptcy is separate from county probate and runs through the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.

There is also a free alternative for some federal dockets and opinions. CourtListener offers free access to many federal dockets and rulings, though it is not the official system.

For an official, complete federal record, PACER remains the primary source, with CourtListener as a free supplement.

Related Cameron County Resources

For case lookup and record types, see court records and court dockets. For the office that keeps district court files, see the District Clerk. For felony and arrest detail, see criminal records.