The charge level decides the courtroom. Locally, cases sort out this way:

• Class C (fine only, up to $500): a JP precinct or a city court.
• Jailable misdemeanors (Class A and B): the five County Courts at Law, with files at the County Clerk.
• Felonies, the lowest state jail grade through capital murder: eight district courts. They are the 28th, 94th, 105th, 117th, 148th, 214th, 319th and 347th. The District Clerk holds every felony file.
• Federal crimes: the U.S. District Court in the Corpus Christi Division.

The county also has a Magistrate Court, which handles the first warnings and bail for people just arrested.

Most criminal work sits under one roof at 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401. The county's main switchboard is 361-888-0111, and offices keep regular business hours.

• District Clerk, felony files for all eight district courts, third floor, Room 313, 361-888-0450.
• County Clerk, misdemeanor files for County Courts at Law 1 through 5, 361-888-0580. Ask staff for the room number.
• District Attorney, second floor, Room 206, 361-888-0410.
• County Attorney, Room 207, 361-888-0391.

Other courts sit elsewhere. Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 is at 705 W. Avenue A, Port Aransas, TX 78373, 361-749-5660. The city's Municipal Court sits at 120 N. Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-826-2500. Federal court meets at 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3142.

Justice of the peace courts here hear Class C cases, plus civil suits, evictions and truancy. Their judges also serve as magistrates. The county is split into justice precincts, and some have a second "place," each with its own judge.

• Precinct 4, Port Aransas: 705 W. Avenue A, Port Aransas, TX 78373, 361-749-5660. On the island, citations from constables, state game wardens and DPS troopers land here.
• Other precincts, including Place 2 of Precincts 2 and 5: call the county at 361-888-0111 and ask which justice court has the ticket.

The largest city court is the Municipal Court at 120 N. Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-826-2500. It is open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and until 6 p.m. on Thursdays. Its phone payment line is 866-299-7084. Each September it holds Warrant Resolution Month, when old city warrants can be cleared without an arrest.

Tickets from police in smaller cities, such as Robstown, Port Aransas, Bishop or Driscoll, belong in whichever court the ticket itself names. For that court's address, call the Sheriff's non-emergency line at 361-826-2900.

Within two days of being booked, every arrested person faces a magistrate (Crim. Proc. art. 15.17). People arrested by city police wait at the City Detention Center, 3312 Leopard Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, until they see a magistrate. The county has its own Magistrate Court for other arrests. At this short hearing the magistrate does four things:

• states the accusation and covers silence, hiring counsel and stopping any interview;
• explains the right to an examining trial in a felony;
• helps the person ask for a court-appointed lawyer;
• sets bail after reading a public safety report for Class B charges and higher (Crim. Proc. arts. 17.022, 17.028).

Some misdemeanor cases start with a citation instead of a jail booking. Under the District Attorney's cite and release program, that first hearing happens on the second or fourth Wednesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. in the first-floor Central Jury Room at the courthouse. The person must bring the citation and an ID. For a jail case, ask Jail Information at 361-887-2300 when magistration is set.

Most adult misdemeanors here are Class A or B, like a first DWI, smaller thefts or low-level drug possession. Prosecutors charge them by information, a sworn paper filed without a grand jury, and a County Court at Law takes the case.

1. Arraignment. The person is told the charge and enters a plea (Crim. Proc. art. 26.01).
2. Settings. The lawyer and prosecutor exchange evidence and talk about an offer.
3. Plea or trial. If the judge turns down a plea deal, the person may take back the plea (Crim. Proc. art. 26.13).

What each misdemeanor class can bring:

• Class C carries only a fine, $500 at most (Penal Code 12.23).
• Class B means county jail for 180 days or less, a $2,000 maximum fine, or jail plus fine (Penal Code 12.22).
• Class A: as long as a year behind bars, as much as $4,000, or both (Penal Code 12.21).

Many cases end another way. With deferred adjudication, guilt is never formally found; finish the supervision, capped at two years for a misdemeanor, and the judge dismisses (Crim. Proc. arts. 42A.103, 42A.111). The District Attorney also offers pretrial diversion with a fee, classes and community service, after which the case is dismissed and an expunction may be sought. For a court date, call the County Clerk at 361-888-0580.

1. Magistrate and bail within 48 hours of the arrest.
2. Examining trial, if requested, where a magistrate checks for probable cause before indictment (Crim. Proc. art. 16.01).
3. Grand jury. Its work is secret, and nine grand jurors must agree to indict (Crim. Proc. art. 20A.301).
4. Arraignment, where the indicted person hears the charge in district court.
5. Pretrial settings, then a plea or a jury trial.

A fine reaching $10,000 can be added at any felony grade short of capital. Time ranges by grade:

• State jail felony (Penal Code 12.35): 180 days to 24 months, served at a state jail.
• Third degree (Penal Code 12.34): two up to ten years.
• Second degree (Penal Code 12.33): a 2-year minimum and 20-year maximum.
• First degree (Penal Code 12.32): five years up to 99, or life.
• Capital (Penal Code 12.31): death or life with no parole.

Prior felonies raise the range, sometimes a lot (Penal Code 12.42). In the opposite direction, some state jail felonies can be sentenced as Class A misdemeanors (Penal Code 12.44). On felonies, deferred adjudication or regular probation may stretch as long as 10 years (Crim. Proc. arts. 42A.053, 42A.103). Treatment-focused dockets for drugs, veterans and mental illness exist around Texas, and the specialty court registry lists them by county. For felony dates, call the District Clerk at 361-888-0450.

Yes, in several ways that start right at the bail stage.

• No personal bond. Charges on the state's violent offense list can't be released on a no-money bond (Crim. Proc. art. 17.03).
• No-bail orders. Proposition 3, approved November 4, 2025, lets the prosecutor seek a no-bail order on charges such as murder, aggravated robbery or trafficking (Tex. Const. art. I, sec. 11d).
• Prosecutors may appeal a low bail on those charges, keeping the defendant inside until a ruling (Crim. Proc. art. 44.01).
• No deferred adjudication on most murder counts, and on certain sex and trafficking crimes (Crim. Proc. art. 42A.102).
• Protective orders. A family violence arrest can lead to an emergency order from the magistrate. It lasts two to three months, or longer with a weapon or bad injury (Crim. Proc. art. 17.292).

Capital murder carries two outcomes when prosecutors seek death: execution or life without parole. When they don't, an adult convicted of it serves life without parole (Penal Code 12.31). These cases are tried by the District Attorney's Office, 901 Leopard St., Room 206, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-0410.

Prosecutors. The District Attorney's Office, 901 Leopard St., Room 206, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-0410, handles felony cases and runs the cite and release program for misdemeanors. Room 207 houses the County Attorney's Office, 361-888-0391. Ask either office which one has a given case.

Defense for people who can't pay. Ask for a lawyer at magistration. Local forms include an Affidavit of Indigence in either English or Spanish, routed to a county magistrate or the presiding judge. Big counties like this one have just one working day after a request reaches the court to name a lawyer (Crim. Proc. art. 1.051). Read the district court lawyer plan for the details.

• The county's Mental Health Public Defender's Office, 901 Leopard St., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-414-6610, opened in 2022 with a state grant and represents people who can't afford a lawyer.
• Judges take turns assigning cases to the public defenders and to private attorneys who qualify for the list.
• Released without counsel yet? Phone the clerk handling the file and ask for the appointment form.

• Felonies: the District Clerk's online case search is built for people on a case to look up their own file. It runs through re:SearchTX and is sometimes down for upkeep.
• Statewide records: re:SearchTX is free to join. Expect the filed charge and any judgment there, though settings won't show. Copies run $1 for up to 10 pages.
• City court: the municipal case search and the municipal docket search cover city tickets and warrants.
• Convictions: the DPS conviction search charges a fee and needs an account.

For a hearing date, a phone call is often fastest. Call the District Clerk at 361-888-0450 for felonies or the County Clerk at 361-888-0580 for misdemeanors, spelling the defendant's name and giving a birth date.

The Sheriff's Warrants and Civil Process unit serves county warrants, 361-887-2239. City warrants go through the police department, 321 John Sartain Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-886-2600. Search city warrants on the Municipal Court warrant search, and check the state's Texas 10 Most Wanted list. For county warrants, call the unit or the District Clerk, 901 Leopard St., Room 313, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-0450. Getting one lifted usually means talking with defense counsel first, then either surrendering at the court that signed it or calling there for a new date. City warrants can also be cleared before a judge at 120 N. Chaparral Street, Corpus Christi, TX 78401.

U.S. criminal cases from around the bay go to the federal courthouse at 1133 N. Shoreline Blvd., Corpus Christi, TX 78401, part of the state's Southern District, 361-888-3142.

• Prosecutor: the U.S. Attorney's branch office, One Shoreline Plaza South Tower, 800 N. Shoreline Blvd., Suite 500, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3111.
• Defense: the Federal Public Defender, 500 N. Shoreline Blvd., Room 301, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3532.
• Detention hearing: commonly at that first appearance, a federal judge settles release or custody while the case is pending. A short delay of a few days may be granted to either side (18 U.S.C. 3142).
• Custody: the U.S. Marshals Service, 1133 North Shoreline Boulevard, Suite 109, Corpus Christi, TX 78401, 361-888-3154, holds people before trial and can tell families which facility has them.
• After sentencing: find the person on the Federal Bureau of Prisons inmate locator.

An immigration hold never wipes out the state charge. It does change custody, step by step:

1. With an ICE detainer (Form I-247A) on file, the jail can keep them up to 48 hours after they would otherwise be released (8 CFR 287.7(d)).
2. A Texas jail has to honor it, except where documents establish U.S. citizenship or lawful presence (Crim. Proc. art. 2A.060). Counties and cities can't adopt policies that limit enforcement (Gov't Code 752.053). Also, a 2025 statute sets December 1, 2026 for every jail-running county to have a 287(g) agreement in place. For the local picture, call the Sheriff's Office, 361-887-2222.
3. ICE's Harlingen Field Office covers this county: 1717 Zoy Street, Harlingen, TX 78552, 956-389-7800.
4. Find a detained person with the ICE Online Detainee Locator.

Texas judges must warn every defendant who isn't a citizen, spoken aloud and written down, that pleading guilty or no contest could mean deportation (Crim. Proc. art. 26.13). Ask the defense lawyer to check the immigration effect of any plea offer.

A sentenced person often stays on Leopard Street for a while before state transport comes. Someone sentenced on a state jail felony is sent to one of the state jail units. Third-degree sentences and anything heavier are served in a TDCJ prison, with intake staff picking the unit (Penal Code 12.31-12.35).

• The TDCJ inmate search finds people by surname, TDCJ number or SID number. It shows people now in a TDCJ unit and runs at least a day behind.
• Unit addresses, visiting and mail are on our Texas state prisons page.

Youth court jurisdiction runs from a 10th birthday up to a 17th, counted on the day of the alleged act. Seventeen counts as adult age for criminal charges (Family Code 51.02). Juvenile cases here run through the Juvenile Justice Center, 2310 Gollihar Rd., Corpus Christi, TX 78415. It is open Monday to Thursday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Juvenile probation: 361-855-7303.
• Detention: the Juvenile Detention Center in the same building, control room 361-561-6041. It has 24 beds and up to 16 overflow beds, and it also takes youths from smaller counties by contract.
• Longer placements: the Robert N. Barnes Regional Juvenile Facility, 2310 Gollihar Rd., Corpus Christi, TX 78415, 361-561-6001.

Detained youths see a judge inside two working days, with an appointed attorney already on board (Family Code 54.01). Prosecutors can ask to certify a youth for adult trial. It takes a hearing, plus a minimum age of 14 for capital or first-degree felonies and 15 for any other felony (Family Code 54.02).

A crime victim in Texas holds a list of legal rights, including these (Crim. Proc. art. 56A.051):

• a say in safety concerns when the magistrate sets bail;
• notice ahead of each hearing, if requested;
• the right to tell the court in writing about the harm, before punishment is set;
• quick return of belongings kept as evidence.

Release alerts are free from Texas IVSS-Counties; register online or call 866-268-8959, around the clock in English or Spanish. Registration stays private from the jailed person. Medical bills, counseling and lost pay may be covered by Crime Victims' Compensation, up to $50,000, at 800-983-9933. The prosecutor's office answers case questions at 361-888-0410.