Municipal Court

January 10, 2012 Bench Trial Hearings
January 18, 2012 Show Cause Hearings
January 24, 2012 Jury Trial Hearings

Description
The role of the municipal court is to provide a fair, independent, and impartial forum for the adjudication of fine-only criminal cases arising within the Nacogdoches City limits. These include traffic, penal code, and city ordinance cases. The court provides all persons the right to trial by judge or jury and follows the procedures set forth under Texas law. The court conducts adult and juvenile hearings, collects fines, processes alternative methods of disposition, such as deferred disposition, driving safety, and other sanctions of the court, and issues warrants of arrest.

Court Schedule
Trials are conducted in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure of the State of Texas. Court Schedules are posted on the Municipal Court web page.

Under provision of Chapter 729 of the Texas Transportation Code a "child"(a person under 17 years of age) must appear in open court before the judge with one or both parents or guardians.
Under provision of Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 45.0215 a "child" under the age of 17 must appear in open court before the judge with one or both parents or guardians for violations committed for tobacco and alcohol violations.
Under provision of Alcohol and Beverage Code Sec. 106.10 a "minor" is required to appear in open court before the judge.

Payment
You may pay your fine in person at the court, or by mailing money order or cashier's check made payable to:

City of Nacogdoches Municipal Court
P.O. Drawer 635030
Nacogdoches, Texas 75963-5030

Debit or Credit Card Payments can be made between th hours of 8:00 am to 4:00 pm Monday through Friday (except holidays). We accept Visa and Mastercard.
You may also pay by credit card by calling 1-800-888-1340 with your name, citation number or court docket number and the amount to be paid.

Request for Driving Safety Course
You may request to take a driving safety course in order to have a citation dismissed. You must not presently be taking the course, nor have taken it in the past twelve months.

In order to process your request, you must:
1) Enter your plea of guilty or nolo contendere;
2) Enclose court costs of $107.00 or $132.00 if the violation occurred in a school zone;
3) Send a copy of your valid Texas Driver's license or permit; and
4) Send a copy of your proof of financial responsibility (automobile liability insurance);
5) Notarized affidavit which can be found HERE (You must get this form notarized)

History of Municipal Courts:
The Municipal Court occupies a unique position in the Texas Judicial System. More people are exposed to municipal courts than all other courts combined. Most people appear in city courts because of traffic citations, and for most, whether as a defendant, witness, or juror, this will be their only contact with the criminal justice system. Those who appear in Municipal Court for the first time will develop lasting impressions of the court, and because it is difficult to distinguish between courts, they naturally will project their experience to the entire criminal justice system. Consequently, public impression of the judicial system is formed in large measure by proceedings in the municipal court.

The existence of municipal courts provides cities with control over the enforcement of certain misdemeanor state criminal laws and city ordinances where the violations occur within their boundaries. All municipal court procedures are subject to review by the county court on appeal.

Contact Information:
Juanita Springer - Presiding Judge/Court Administrator
PO Box 635030
Nacogdoches, TX 75963-5030
Phone: 936-559-2641
Fax: 936-560-3477
springerj@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us