Gatesville, Texas
Gatesville, Texas, the county seat of Coryell County, is in central Texas just five miles north of the geographic center of the state. Gatesville is at the intersection of U.S. Highway 84 and Texas Highway 36, adjacent to the Leon River, and on the northern edge of Fort Hood, the largest military base in the world. In 2009, Gatesville was home to 15,296 residents (U.S. Census), with families making up 72% of the population.
The Gatesville Chamber of Commerce lists the Texas Dept of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) as the largest employer in Gatesville. The TDCJ operates several facilities for women: the Crain Unit, Hilltop Unit, Woodman State Jail, and the Mountain View Unit, plus the maximum security Murray Unit for men. One of the facilities, the Mountain View Unit, holds the state's female death row inmates.
Since Gatesville is adjacent to Fort Hood, the military base is an integral part of Gatesville's economy. The Gatesville manufacturing companies of Kalyn Siebert, a manufacturer of trailers for commercial and military use, and Laerdal, a manufacturer of emergency medical equipment, are major employers.
The 25-bed Coryell Memorial Healthcare System is a community-owned healthcare organization serving Gatesville. The hospital offers a wide range of health services, with a nursing facility, The Meadows, and independent living apartments, The Oaks at Coryell, on the campus. The Scott & White Gatesville Clinic, adjacent to Coryell Memorial Hospital, offers a wide range of medical services including acute care for minor emergencies. The nearby Darnall Army Community Hospital, located at Fort Hood, provides medical care to active-duty and retired military personnel and their family members.
Gatesville, home to the Mitchell Collection of several thousands of spurs, is known as the "Spur Capital of Texas." The spur collection, said to be the largest in the world, is housed at Coryell Museum and Historical Center in Gatesville.
District courts are the primary trial courts in Texas as state trial courts of general jurisdiction. The Texas Constitution also provides for a county court in each of Texas's 254 counties. Each county in Texas is divided according to population into at least one and not more than eight justice precincts.
Gatesville, as the county seat, houses the Coryell County Court House, one of the finest remaining Romanesque Renaissance Revival Architectural monuments in the nation. The 52nd Judicial District Court sits at the Coryell County Court House.
Justice courts generally have exclusive jurisdiction of civil matters, including personal injury lawsuits, only when the amount in controversy does not exceed $200. Generally, the county courts have concurrent jurisdiction with justice courts in civil cases where the matter in controversy exceeds $200 but does not exceed $10,000 and concurrent jurisdiction with the district courts in civil cases where the matter in controversy exceeds $500 but does not exceed $5,000. The district courts have jurisdiction in civil matters with a minimum monetary limit but no maximum limit. The fourteen Texas Courts of Appeals handle most of Texas’ civil appeals from the district and county-level courts, while the Texas Supreme Court has statewide, final appellate jurisdiction in most civil cases.
The Guide to Texas Legislative Information provides brief definitions of terms associated with the legislative process to help you understand the terms you may hear in court.
