§ 20-6. Presiding judge.

There shall be a presiding judge of the municipal courts of record for the city, who shall be appointed by the city council from among the associate full-time municipal judges.

The presiding judge shall be the administrative judge for the office of the judiciary of the municipal courts department and shall perform the duties of that office as provided by §§ 30.00007 and 30.00224 of the Texas Government Code, other state law and as assigned by the city council by ordinance. The presiding judge shall:

(1)

Maintain administrative oversight of the municipal judges;

(2)

Establish work rules for the administration of the municipal courts, in consultation with the director/clerk;

(3)

Maintain a central docket for the cases filed within the municipal court's jurisdiction;

(4)

Provide for the distribution of cases from the central docket to the individual municipal judges to equalize the distribution of business in the courts, to include shifting the assignment of cases between individual courts and municipal judges in furtherance of judicial economy;

(5)

Establish the work hours for each municipal judge;

(6)

Schedule and approve vacation and other absences for each municipal judge and provide monthly reports of these to the city council;

(7)

Provide monthly case adjudication reports for each municipal judge, as well as judicial complaints to city council;

(8)

Assign the duties of each municipal judge;

(9)

Assign municipal judges to exchange benches and to act for each other in pending proceedings;

(10)

Designate a full-time municipal judge to assist in administration and to act for the presiding judge while the presiding judge is absent; and

(11)

Administer the budget established through the city's budget process for the office of the judiciary of the municipal courts department.

(Ord. No. 100824, § 2, 5-5-05)