Texas Center for the Judiciary, Judicial Excellence Through Education, Austin, Texas


Our Mission: The Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc. is the primary provider of specialized judicial education and training opportunities for Texas appellate, district and county court at law judges. The Texas Center steadfastly pursues its mission, Judicial Excellence Through Education, by providing leadership in education and training so that a qualified and knowledgeable judiciary and staff may administer justice with fairness, efficiency and integrity. About Us: The Texas Center was created in 1973 by members of the Judicial Section of the State Bar and became an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1980. Today, the Texas Center provides annual training to nearly 2,000 judges and court personnel, serves as the administrative arm of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas, and is an official registrar of continuing judicial education designated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. The Texas Center obtains grants to secure funds for judicial education programs. Individual gifts and contributions supplement grant funding and ensure the continued success and evolvement of valuable judicial training at the Texas Center. The Texas Center has an annual budget of 4.5 million dollars ($4,500,000) with 75% of funding allocated to direct participant training and sub grant awards. Our Programs: The College for New Judges is the cornerstone of the Texas Center core curriculum. The College is considered an essential exercise for the transition from advocate to jurist and most newly elected or appointed judges attend the annual College. Other Texas Center programs include Regional Judicial Conferences, Criminal Justice Seminars, Texas College for Judicial Studies, Family Violence/Child Abuse and Neglect Conferences, and the Judicial Section Annual Conference as well as other topical programs to meet the needs of a dynamic judiciary. The Texas Center also provides programs for court personnel. The Texas Center’s Professional Development Program offers classes in trial court coordination, management and administration to court professionals throughout the state. The Texas Center has a grant from the State’s Department of Transportation to work with judges to assist in reaching the goal of reducing the number of DWI-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. The Texas Center and its Texas Judicial Resource Liaison offer DWI court training, provide support materials and resources for training related to impaired drivers, and maintain an extensive DWI website. The Texas Center also has a grant to administer the Texas Children's Justice Act Project and is a subgrantee of the Texas Supreme Court's Permanent Commission for Children, Youth and Families. These grants make funds available to implement pilot projects and to allow judges to participate in conferences and training that improves the child protection system. Funded projects also include judicial training particular to the issues involved in child protective services cases. Our Curriculum: The Texas Center designs its curriculum expressly to meet the educational needs of Texas judges. Most appellate, district court, and county court at law judges meet their continuing judicial education requirements by attending programs sponsored by the Texas Center. In developing curriculum for Texas Center programs, the faculty and staff strive to implement the most up-to-date, applicable and highest caliber materials into courses covering topics from evidence and managing trials to cultural sensitivity and judicial writing. Our Faculty: The faculty of the Texas Center is composed of outstanding jurists, attorneys and law professors throughout the state and other parts of the country who volunteer their time and expertise without compensation in most cases. The expertise of the legal faculty is combined with the insight of medical professionals, psychologists, sociologists and communication experts who also serve in a critical capacity. Periodic faculty development workshops help current and potential judge faculty develop effective strategies for designing and teaching judicial education. Our Judicial Resources: In Chambers, the official publication of the Texas Center, is published online three times a year to all active Texas judges and provides current information about national and local judicial educational issues and educational course opportunities. The Texas Center maintains a comprehensive judicial resource library of more than 1,000 training materials, judicial education books, manuals, periodicals and videos for check-out by judges. The Texas Center also publishes reference manuals for its judges. A Bench Book for the Judiciary helps familiarize new judges with procedures in their area and eases the transition of others into areas of the law that have not previously been their responsibility. A Capital Cases Bench Book serves as a valuable tool and convenient resource for judges handling capital cases. Resource tables at each conference offer miscellaneous judicial education material likely to be of interest to the judges. Our Website Materials: The Texas Center’s extensive website (www.yourhonor.com) offers many judicial resources. The latest legal headlines are posted; conference schedules and forms are available for online registration; and contact information for judicial officers, directors, and staff is available online. Ethics opinions, court rules, resolutions, and rules of judicial education may be consulted. Current and past In Chambers publications are online. Links are provided to other helpful judicial resources, including special areas for applicant’s Bench Books, DWI information, and other resources. Password protected materials for each conference are also available online for preview or review by judges that have registered for the course. Our Leadership: The Texas Center operates under the leadership of a Board of Directors and utilizes a committee structure to carry out its mission. The Texas Center Board of Directors Chair is elected annually by the members of the Judicial Section of the State Bar. Members of the Texas Center’s Board of Directors serve three-year terms. Mari Kay Bickett, the executive director of the Texas Center, serves as the center’s CEO and directs its thirteen member staff. She formerly served as the academic director of The National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.

Our Mission:

The Texas Center for the Judiciary, Inc. is the primary provider of specialized judicial education and training opportunities for Texas appellate, district and county court at law judges. The Texas Center steadfastly pursues its mission, Judicial Excellence Through Education, by providing leadership in education and training so that a qualified and knowledgeable judiciary and staff may administer justice with fairness, efficiency and integrity.

About Us:

The Texas Center was created in 1973 by members of the Judicial Section of the State Bar and became an independent, non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 1980. Today, the Texas Center provides annual training to nearly 2,000 judges and court personnel, serves as the administrative arm of the Judicial Section of the State Bar of Texas, and is an official registrar of continuing judicial education designated by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
The Texas Center obtains grants to secure funds for judicial education programs.
Individual gifts and contributions supplement grant funding and ensure the continued success and evolvement of valuable judicial training at the Texas Center.
The Texas Center has an annual budget of 4.5 million dollars ($4,500,000) with 75% of funding allocated to direct participant training and sub grant awards.

Our Programs:

The College for New Judges is the cornerstone of the Texas Center core curriculum. The College is considered an essential exercise for the transition from advocate to jurist and most newly elected or appointed judges attend the annual College.
Other Texas Center programs include Regional Judicial Conferences, Criminal Justice Seminars, Texas College for Judicial Studies, Family Violence/Child Abuse and Neglect Conferences, and the Judicial Section Annual Conference as well as other topical programs to meet the needs of a dynamic judiciary.
The Texas Center also provides programs for court personnel. The Texas Center’s Professional Development Program offers classes in trial court coordination, management and administration to court professionals throughout the state.
The Texas Center has a grant from the State’s Department of Transportation to work with judges to assist in reaching the goal of reducing the number of DWI-related crashes, injuries and fatalities. The Texas Center and its Texas Judicial Resource Liaison offer DWI court training, provide support materials and resources for training related to impaired drivers, and maintain an extensive DWI website.
The Texas Center also has a grant to administer the Texas Children's Justice Act Project and is a subgrantee of the Texas Supreme Court's Permanent Commission for Children, Youth and Families. These grants make funds available to implement pilot projects and to allow judges to participate in conferences and training that improves the child protection system. Funded projects also include judicial training particular to the issues involved in child protective services cases.

Our Curriculum:

The Texas Center designs its curriculum expressly to meet the educational needs of Texas judges. Most appellate, district court, and county court at law judges meet their continuing judicial education requirements by attending programs sponsored by the Texas Center.
In developing curriculum for Texas Center programs, the faculty and staff strive to implement the most up-to-date, applicable and highest caliber materials into courses covering topics from evidence and managing trials to cultural sensitivity and judicial writing.

Our Faculty:

The faculty of the Texas Center is composed of outstanding jurists, attorneys and law professors throughout the state and other parts of the country who volunteer their time and expertise without compensation in most cases. The expertise of the legal faculty is combined with the insight of medical professionals, psychologists, sociologists and communication experts who also serve in a critical capacity.
Periodic faculty development workshops help current and potential judge faculty develop effective strategies for designing and teaching judicial education.

Our Judicial Resources:

In Chambers, the official publication of the Texas Center, is published online three times a year to all active Texas judges and provides current information about national and local judicial educational issues and educational course opportunities.
The Texas Center maintains a comprehensive judicial resource library of more than 1,000 training materials, judicial education books, manuals, periodicals and videos for check-out by judges.
The Texas Center also publishes reference manuals for its judges. A Bench Book for the Judiciary helps familiarize new judges with procedures in their area and eases the transition of others into areas of the law that have not previously been their responsibility. A Capital Cases Bench Book serves as a valuable tool and convenient resource for judges handling capital cases.
Resource tables at each conference offer miscellaneous judicial education material likely to be of interest to the judges.

Our Website Materials:

The Texas Center’s extensive website (www.yourhonor.com) offers many judicial resources. The latest legal headlines are posted; conference schedules and forms are available for online registration; and contact information for judicial officers, directors, and staff is available online. Ethics opinions, court rules, resolutions, and rules of judicial education may be consulted. Current and past In Chambers publications are online. Links are provided to other helpful judicial resources, including special areas for applicant’s Bench Books, DWI information, and other resources.
Password protected materials for each conference are also available online for preview or review by judges that have registered for the course.

Our Leadership:

The Texas Center operates under the leadership of a Board of Directors and utilizes a committee structure to carry out its mission. The Texas Center Board of Directors Chair is elected annually by the members of the Judicial Section of the State Bar. Members of the Texas Center’s Board of Directors serve three-year terms.
Mari Kay Bickett, the executive director of the Texas Center, serves as the center’s CEO and directs its thirteen member staff. She formerly served as the academic director of The National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.