Seriousness decides the courtroom. Three tiers of court share the county's criminal load.

• Felony tier. State jail felonies through capital murder go to the 21st or the 335th District Court, with files at the District Clerk's office. Bastrop, Lee and Washington counties share both benches.
• Jailable misdemeanor tier. Class A and Class B cases belong to the County Court. The County Judge runs that courtroom; paperwork lives with the County Clerk.
• Ticket tier. Speeding tickets and other Class C cases land in one of four JP precincts or in a city court like Caldwell's.

Top punishments under Penal Code §§12.21-12.23: a $500 fine for Class C; 180 days plus $2,000 for Class B; a year plus $4,000 for Class A. Felony appeals go up to the Tenth Court of Appeals. Past that, only the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ranks higher.

Two Caldwell buildings handle most filings, and justice courts sit out in the precincts. Hours vary, so phone first.

• District Clerk (felony files for the 21st and 335th), 205 E. Fox, Suite 2001, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2336. Open 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. on weekdays. Jury questions: 979-567-2337.
• County courthouse (County Court and County Clerk), 100 West Buck St., Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2333, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 1, 6399 FM 111, Caldwell, TX 77836; letters to PO Box 136, Deanville, TX 77852; 979-535-4761. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., shut from 11 to noon.
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 2, 9434 Slovacek Rd., Snook, TX 77878; letters to PO Box 250, Snook, TX 77878; 979-272-3656.
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 3, inside the courthouse at 100 W. Buck Street, Suite 101, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2301. Weekdays 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Justice of the Peace, Pct. 4, 16955 Highway 36 S., Somerville, TX 77879, 979-596-1412. Weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Federal cases go to Austin, covered in the federal answer.

Caldwell has one. Its municipal court takes fine-only tickets written inside the city, including traffic and city ordinance cases. The state's court directory puts it at 114 S. Echols, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-3271.

Holding a Somerville or Snook ticket? The citation itself names the court and your appearance date. Out in the county, tickets generally go to a justice court, and the paper says which precinct. Lost it? The Sheriff's Office, 979-567-4343, can point you to the right window.

Money tight? Speak up before the due date. A Class C judge can set monthly payments, waive the fine, or swap in community service, with each 8 hours worth $150 off. Jail for not paying takes a hearing first. Even then, the judge needs a finding that the money was there and the person willfully held back (articles 45A.252-45A.261).

The magistrate visit happens within two days of arrest, sometimes through a video monitor, under article 15.17. Expect to hear:

• what they're accused of;
• that they can keep quiet, hire their own lawyer, have that lawyer in the room for police questions, and halt an interview midway;
• with a felony charge, the option of an examining trial;
• a warning that their own words may be used as evidence;
• the form for a county-paid lawyer, which the magistrate helps fill out.

Bail is set at that same hearing. On a fine-only charge, a signed promise to appear may be enough for release (CCP art. 15.17). No probable cause? Then the magistrate has one day to put that finding in writing. A detainee who seems mentally ill starts a 12-hour countdown, and by its end the jail has to tip off the magistrate (article 16.22). For amounts and bond types, turn to our bail and bond page.

The County Attorney's Misdemeanor Division opens each Class A or B case with a document called an "information." No grand jury is involved. Its office is at 100 West Buck, Suite 402, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2340. Whether a DWI, theft or assault charge is Class A or B turns on the facts, so ask the defense lawyer or that office which one was filed.

1. Arraignment. In the Buck Street courtroom, the accusation is read and the defendant pleads; article 26.01 governs this step.
2. Pretrial dates. The lawyers trade discovery and haggle.
3. Plea or trial. A County Judge who won't go along with a plea bargain must let the defendant take the guilty plea back (art. 26.13).
4. Punishment. The Class B ceiling is 180 days and $2,000. Class A tops out at one year and $4,000.

Plenty of County Court cases end without a conviction on the record. Deferred adjudication parks the case with no guilty finding, for two years at most on a misdemeanor; meet every condition and articles 42A.101 and 42A.103 call for dismissal. Straight probation, which the code labels community supervision, can't run past two years at this level either, under article 42A.053.

The County Attorney's Felony Division handles felony prosecutions from 205 E. Fox St., Suite 2004, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2350. Per the District Clerk, every felony here begins with an indictment.

1. Examining trial. Ahead of indictment, defense counsel can demand that a judge test the state's probable cause in court, under article 16.01.
2. Indictment vote. Under CCP art. 20A.301, nine of twelve grand jurors, meeting behind closed doors, must agree before an indictment issues.
3. Plea and motions. A plea goes on record, motions get heard, and deals are discussed.
4. Resolution. Most cases settle by plea. Either side may still insist on a jury.

Penal Code chapter 12 ties punishment to the grade, rung by rung. Lowest rung: a state jail felony, where the stay in a state jail lasts 180 days or more but never beyond two years. Next: third degree, a decade at most, two years at least. Then second degree, with the same two-year floor and a 20-year cap. Top: first degree, with a 5-year floor and a top end of 99 years or a life sentence. Every rung also allows a fine up to $10,000. A record of prior felonies can bump the range upward, as Penal Code §12.42 spells out. Deferred adjudication or probation, each up to 10 years on a felony, is sometimes offered in place of prison (CCP arts. 42A.053, 42A.103). Article 17.151 also matters while someone sits in the Highway 21 jail. Ninety days after a felony arrest, if the state still isn't trial-ready, a judge generally has to either lower the bail or accept a personal bond.

Several. Capital murder has the narrowest menu in the Penal Code: death, or a whole-life sentence with no parole. Defendants under 18 face life (§12.31). When the court appoints counsel on a capital charge, the job falls to a specialized Lubbock office, phone 806-696-3740, with a mailbox at PO Box 2097, Lubbock, TX 79408. Its formal title: the Regional Public Defender for Capital Cases.

Release is harder, too. Article 17.03 shuts the door on a personal bond for most violent crimes. Proposition 3, on the November 2025 ballot, stacked on another layer. Murder, aggravated robbery and some other named crimes now let prosecutors seek a no-bail order. Under Tex. Const. art. I, §11d, the judge grants it when persuaded the defendant would skip court or put people in danger. The victims answer covers notice rights in these cases too.

The County Attorney prosecutes both felonies and misdemeanors. Misdemeanors: 100 West Buck, Suite 402, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2340. Felonies: 205 E. Fox St., Suite 2004, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2350.

On the defense side, a local judge assigns a private attorney when the person can't afford one. The four-county district plan uses contract lawyers and a rotating list (Bastrop, Burleson, Lee and Washington plan). Here is how a request moves:

• At the magistrate hearing, the person asks; the sworn form is forwarded within a day.
• Missed that chance? Turn the forms in to the District Court Coordinator or the District Clerk (979-567-2336) ahead of the first setting.
• The plan calls for an appointment by the third working day.

Under CCP art. 26.04, the appointed lawyer's first contact attempt is due before the working day after appointment closes. Anyone with a concern about appointments here can call or write the state's watchdog, the Texas Indigent Defense Commission, 209 West 14th Street, Room 202, Austin, TX 78701, 512-936-6994.

Phone calls work best in this county. The District Clerk, 979-567-2336, can pull up a felony, or you can search its records in person at 205 E. Fox, Suite 2001, Caldwell, TX 77836. For a misdemeanor, the courthouse operator at 979-567-2333 will transfer you to the County Clerk. On a ticket, call the court whose name is printed on it.

The statewide re:SearchTX site, free once you register, shows charges and judgments but not upcoming settings; the clerk still has those.

Free notices from Texas IVSS-Counties, also reachable at 866-268-8959, can flag new or moved court events.

Deputies serve most county warrants; ask the Sheriff's Office at 979-567-4343 whether one is active. Constables carry justice court papers (county constables page), and Caldwell police work inside the city (Caldwell public safety page). The state posts its DPS Texas 10 Most Wanted list. To clear a warrant, call the issuing court or surrender there alongside a lawyer. Paying a justice court fine recalls that warrant on the day the payment posts. Felony warrants: District Clerk, 205 E. Fox, Suite 2001, Caldwell, TX 77836, 979-567-2336.

Federal charges from anywhere in this county go to Austin. The Western District of Texas clerk's window for that division is at 501 West Fifth Street, Suite 1100, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5896.

• First appearance. A federal magistrate judge chooses between release with conditions and pretrial detention, with only a short delay allowed (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Custody. Pretrial prisoners are the Marshals' responsibility. Austin office: 501 West 5th Street, Suite 3300, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5393. It can tell you which jail.
• Prosecutor. The U.S. Attorney's Austin branch answers at 512-916-5858; the district's main office is 601 NW Loop 410, Suite 600, San Antonio, TX 78216.
• Defense. Federal Public Defender, 504 Lavaca Street, Suite 960, Austin, TX 78701, 512-916-5025.
• After sentencing. Track a federal prisoner on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

The Texas charge keeps going, but release looks different.

1. ICE's request, Form I-247A, arrives at the jail on Highway 21.
2. Deputies may then keep the person up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
3. CCP article 2A.060 leaves the jail no choice but to comply, unless the person's papers establish citizenship or legal presence.
4. Gov't Code §752.053 has blocked local limits on immigration enforcement since 2017. Gov't Code chapter 753 is newer. That law gives every sheriff with a county jail a finish line of December 1, 2026 to make a 287(g) request of ICE and enter into the agreement. The Sheriff, at 979-567-4343, can say where things stand locally.
5. ICE then picks the person up. Its San Antonio office, 3523 Crosspoint Drive, San Antonio, TX 78217, 210-564-3300, covers south central Texas; the Houston office, 126 Northpoint Drive, Houston, TX 77060, 281-774-4816, covers the southeast.
6. Look the person up on the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Anyone who isn't a citizen should talk immigration over with defense counsel before signing any plea.

The grade of the felony decides. Penal Code §12.35 sends state jail felons to state jail facilities. Anything heavier goes to a prison unit, chosen by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice once intake is done. Most of the sentence is served at that second unit.

• Which unit? The TDCJ inmate search answers that from a name or a TDCJ number.
• Before mailing or visiting a unit, look it up on our Texas state prisons page.

It's the birthday math on the date of the offense that matters. A child aged 10 to 16 at that moment belongs in juvenile court, but at 17 the adult courts take over under Family Code §51.02. Section 51.04 leaves the choice of juvenile judge to the county's juvenile board. Police holding a child must also reach a parent promptly, as §52.02 requires.

• First review: after a Friday or Saturday pickup, a judge must review the detention on the very next working day. Other pickups get two working days. Counsel gets appointed ahead of that hearing, per Family Code §54.01.
• Adult transfer (Family Code §54.02): a 14-year-old qualifies only on capital, first-degree or aggravated controlled substance felonies. From 15 up, any felony can be transferred.
• Where a child is held: no youth lockup operates in this county, so a child may go to a registered center in a nearby county, such as the R. J. Holmgreen Juvenile Justice Center of Bryan, 979-361-1831. Confirm with the Sheriff's Office, 979-567-4343.

Registration and oversight of those centers falls to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department (512-490-7130), 1711 San Jacinto Blvd, Austin, TX 78701.

CCP article 56A.051 gives victims a voice. Judges weigh victim safety when setting bail. Victims can request notice of court settings, and before punishment they may give the judge a written impact statement. Ask the prosecutor for updates: the County Attorney's Felony Division, 979-567-2350, or Misdemeanor Division, 979-567-2340.

• Custody alerts. Registered victims get automatic word from Texas IVSS-Counties whenever the offender's custody status shifts. Phone help runs 24 hours at 866-268-8959, and signing up is confidential.
• Compensation. Bills for medical care and counseling, plus lost income, may be reimbursed up to $50,000. Apply with the Attorney General's Crime Victims' Compensation program. Questions go to 800-983-9933.
• Prison cases. After an offender reaches TDCJ, the agency's Victim Services Division takes calls at 800-848-4284.
• Protection. A family violence arrest can bring an emergency protective order, which article 17.292 lets the magistrate sign at the first appearance.