Tex. Government Code § 30.01255: MAGISTRATES.

(a) The governing body may appoint one or more magistrates in addition to magistrates provided under Article 2A.151, Code of Criminal Procedure.

(b) A magistrate does not have to possess all the qualifications necessary to be a municipal court of record judge.

(c) A magistrate may not preside over the court or hear contested cases.

(d) A magistrate may:

(1) conduct an arraignment;

(2) hold an indigency hearing;

(3) accept a plea;

(4) sign a judgment;

(5) set the amount of a bond; and

(6) perform other functions under Article 15.17, Code of Criminal Procedure.

Added by Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 182, Sec. 1, eff. May 21, 1997.

Amended by:

Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 765 (H.B. 4504), Sec. 2.061, eff. January 1, 2025.