Temple, Texas
Temple, Texas is in Bell County near the county seat of Belton in central Texas. Neighboring communities include Little River-Academy, Morgan's Point Resort, Troy, Rogers, and Moody. In 2009, Temple was home to 58,886 people (U.S. Census).
Like many Texas cities, Temple was founded by a railroad, the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe Railroad, in 1881. The city is named in honor of Bernard Moore Temple, who was the Santa Fe's chief engineer, although he never lived in Temple, Temple is conveniently bisected by Interstate 35 and is a major freight railroad hub to this day. Both the Union Pacific Railroad and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway serve the city, and Amtrak provides commuter service.
Temple is one of the leading medical centers in the Southwest, and it is home to the Scott & White King’s Daughters Hospital and the Olin E. Teague Veterans Center. King's Daughters Hospital, which serves all of central Texas with its Level I Trauma Center, is the only designated Level I Trauma Center between Dallas and Austin that treats serious personal injuries. The Scott & White Children’s Hospital on the campus of King’s Daughters Hospital officially started construction September 1, 2010. When complete, it will be the only stand-alone children’s hospital between Dallas and Austin.
The Temple Economic Development Corporation reports the city's top employers as Temple Independent School District, Temple College, City of Temple, Central Texas Veterans’ Health Care System, Artco-Bell Corporation, Mclane Co. Inc., Scott & White Healthcare,Wilsonart International, and Acer America Corp.
Temple provides a range of cultural and recreational amenities. The Temple Symphony Orchestra and the Temple Civic Theatre at Temple College offer year-round performances. Residents of and visitors to Temple enjoy two area lakes and events such as the Annual Central Texas Air Show at the Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport in Temple and the Texas Early Day Tractor Show.
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.
The Bell County District Courts Center in Belton houses the 27th District Court, 146th District Court, 169th District Court, 264th District Court, and 426th District Court.
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.
