The College for New Judges is a special judicial education program offered each year by the Texas. Center. The curriculum is paid for from a grant from the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and designed to be a learning experience not duplicated in any other continuing legal education program. Judges newly elected to the bench have an opportunity to analyze the role and responsibilities of being a judge and develop the necessary skills to be effective. The four-day program provides information and training to help new judges successfully make the transition from an advocate to that of a fair and impartial administrator of justice.

The Rules of Judicial Education, published by the Court of Criminal Appeals, mandates that each judge complete at least 30 hours of continuing judicial education (CJE) within his/her first year on the bench. The College is designed to give a new judge the necessary hours to fulfill that requirement.

Judges newly elected or appointed each year are invited to attend the College. Topics include such diverse matter as: Evidence, Ethics, Courtroom Management, Self-Represented Litigants, Civil and Criminal Pre-Trial hearings, Listening, Jury Trials, Docket Management, Recusal and Disqualification, Family Violence, and Court Security and Personal Safety. Appellate justices have sessions on Opinion Writing, Opinions and Oral Arguments, Standards of Review, Collegiality, Staff/Time Management, Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure, the Bench Book and more.

The College for New Judges is a unique program offered only through the Texas Center for the Judiciary, and is considered a model for similar programs in other states.