Texas Justice Court
Glossary
Use the glossary to decode common Justice Court words before reading forms, citations, and county court pages.
Legal information only: This site provides legal information for Texas Justice Court users. It is not legal advice, does not create an attorney-client relationship, and does not replace advice from a licensed Texas attorney or instructions from your court. County and precinct practices vary. Filing methods, local forms, service fees, court closures, and clerk procedures can change. Always verify details with the correct Justice of the Peace court before filing or relying on a deadline.
Plain language only
Court papers use technical terms. This glossary explains common words in practical language without trying to cover every legal nuance.
- Justice Court
- A Texas court presided over by a Justice of the Peace. It handles small claims, debt claims, repair and remedy cases, evictions, and other matters within its jurisdiction.
- Justice of the Peace / JP
- The judge of a Justice Court precinct. County websites often call these courts JP courts.
- Precinct
- A geographic area within a county assigned to a Justice of the Peace court.
- Plaintiff
- The person or entity that files a lawsuit.
- Defendant
- The person or entity being sued.
- Citation
- The court paper that gives official notice of the lawsuit and tells the defendant about important response requirements.
- Service
- Formal delivery of court papers by an authorized person or method. A plaintiff generally cannot personally serve the petition and citation.
- Venue
- The county and precinct where a case may be filed. Venue can be fact-sensitive.
- De novo appeal
- A new trial in the county court rather than only a review of what happened in Justice Court.
- Default judgment
- A judgment entered because a party did not answer, appear, or otherwise respond as required.
- Statement of Inability
- A form used to ask the court to waive court costs, service fees, or appeal costs based on inability to pay.
- Registered agent
- The person or organization designated to receive service of process for a filing entity, with a physical registered office in Texas.