Instructions and additional self-help resources are provided. No legal advice is offered here and this site is not an alternative to competent legal counsel. Beyond concerns over cases being dismissed at 544 days without proper vetting by his court, Kim said that every day a child is in a foster home is a day that parents miss out on important life events. 21-0513. The voters elected this judge, and hes doing that job. These IV-D courts are created by statute to handle child support and paternity cases initiated by the Texas AG. County Courts. The effort to spread those cases over Tarrant Countys six other family district judges is part of an effort to increase efficiency in the courts, Kim was told. 200 East Weatherford Street Tarrant County is not responsible for the content of, nor endorses any site which has a link from the Tarrant County web site. As of the 2010 census, there were about 5.2 same-sex couples per 1,000 households in the county.[11]. All exhibits must be emailed or delivered to the court no later than 4 p.m. the day before the hearing to 325DC@tarrantcounty.com. Turner Thornton is a well-known family law attorney in Fort Worth who leads the Varghese Summersett Family Law Group. Enforcement hearings are also set in person on Tuesdays. He finds amicable resolutions where possible to conserve his client's resources, but knows how to take the gloves off if the situation calls for it. The first page of this guide explains the parent-child relationship in general. The court consists of the county judge, who is elected county-wide and presides over the full court, and four commissioners, who are elected in each of the county's four precincts.[12]. Personally, I would have preferred to wait until the next election cycle. As of 2020, it had a population of 2,110,640. . The 360th Family District Court is supported by Associate Judge Matthew Riek. All jury trials, agreed settings, or upon party request are in person. Phone: (817) 884-1265. Contact the court coordinator for get agreed upon dates and times prior to setting the hearing. You can visit the231st Family District Court's webpagefor the most up-to-date information. My granddaughter was removed by corrupt CPS and my daughters parental rights were terminated yesterday. They cheated and threatened my daughter saying she would never see my granddaughter again if she did not voluntarily relinquish her rights. Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. The subject of the email should include the full cause number and the Petitioner/Movant or Respondents Exhibits. There is an urgency to ensuring that these kids dont get bounced around. Shortly after taking over the 323rds CPS cases, Kim began cutting back on the number of six-month extensions that his court granted. 817-884-2720 IV - D (Child Support) Courts. Judge Jerome S. Hennigan 817-884-1432 Associate Judge Beth Poulos 817-884-1991 Family Law Center 200 E. Weatherford St. 4th Floor Fort Worth, TX 76196-0232 I am not the child's parent (SAPCR). Children with CASA volunteers have 16 percent lower odds of returning to their home of removal, compared with foster children without CASA involvement.. First Floor Search options are in the left column. Courts - Tarrant County TX So plan on being early. To help improve upon the information that is available, please leave any comments or recommendations in thisVirtual Court Content Survey. TLSC provides free legal services to underserved Texans in need of education, advice, and representation. View information about the Tarrant County Law Library, which is open to the public for legal research. A fee applies. Tarrant County is not responsible for the content of, nor endorses any site which has a link from the Tarrant County web site. Phone: (817) 884-2899. Tarrant County is not responsible for the content of, nor endorses any site which has a link from the Tarrant County web site . You can get and pay for copies of documents here and even get certified copies of documents. Read our articles on Zoom and how to use it to prepare for your hearing. 200 E. Weatherford, 2nd Floor West. 100 North Calhoun Street. All documents you want to file with the court must be filed with the District Clerks Office through e-filing, in person, fax, or by mail. On the second floor of the Tarrant County Family Courthouse, youll find the Family Court Service / Domestic Relations Office. Last Updated on January 22, 2023 by Benson Varghese. Read Tarrant County Family Courts Local Rule 4.01(12) to learn how to schedule a hearing. View supplemental instructions and definitions for self-represented parties to complete the Civil Case Information Sheet. Family District Courts hear all family law issues including divorce cases, annulments, enforcement or interpretation of agreements incident to divorce, protective orders, suits affecting the parent-child relationship, child custody, visitation, child support, paternity, termination and adoption, child abuse and neglect (involving the Department of Family and Protective Services, or CPS), and all other cases arising under the Texas Family Code. Who do I contact if I have questions or need help? For every 100 females, there were 98.10 males. For questions in the District Court, contact the Court Coordinator Michael Kapelowitz at (817) 884-1580. Monday Friday, 8:00 am 4:30 pm. Family district courts. By contrast, only 77 percent of the children without a CASA found permanent homes. Countywide law enforcement is provided by the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office and Tarrant County Constable's Office. You should also read the following documents uploaded by the Tarrant County District Clerk: Local Rules of Tarrant CountyGeneral Rules. Phone: (682) 291-9640. You can read How to E-File to learn about E-Filing. It is Texas' third-most populous county and the 15th-most populous in the United States. Tarrant County ranks third highest among Texas counties in the number of confirmed cases of abuse and neglect, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Kim had the North East Tarrant County tea party support him. Since taking office in early 2019, Judge Alex Kim has made dozens. In 2018, the Democratic Party rebounded to represent a larger portion of the political profile and made huge gains in Tarrant County, concentrated in several areas throughout the county: eastern Euless, Grand Prairie and eastern and southern Arlington, northern and western areas of Mansfield, large portions of Fort Worth, particularly the area surrounding the Stockyards and Meacham Airport, southern and eastern Fort Worth, especially in dense metro areas and along I-35W, and Forest Hill. Where to go? Has anyone experienced them not getting like the paperwork and stuff for their cases well I had a GPS case and I was told that I would receive court orders court dates like updates on my kids from the court and I never received none of them and they look at me like if Im lying about it but I got the post office to an extend you an email to show you an email everyday and Ive never received anything or do I have to go buy a court order Ive never received and I hate the system for the simple fact is promise that would never mind the youngest son was placed with his grandparents in Lubbock that they were going to going to cover the cost of transportation to make sure the siblings and have a good strong relationship they didnt do it not one time and now theyre trying to do the same thing to my daughter except for they want to put her up for adoption and her brothers and sisters dont have they dont have to thats not fair right but its supposed to keep siblings and all that together I did all my classes and they lost my paperwork not once the twice yeah Im still not the best person yeah Im not the best person by far but youre looking at your case worker they have the power to break up familys, And my case has been open for 8 years and the more I accomplished the more I got demoted so at the end I just said I just quit I never quit the visits I would never quit visiting my kids but I quit doing anything that they asked me to do we went from eating at Chick-fil-A and McDonalds to in the CPS office with the case worker in the room with us cant call my kids on the phone because I have to have the caseworker on the freeway also. 200 East Weatherford Street Watch Associate Judge Kaitcers court live stream on YouTube. Texas does not have legal separation, so you need to protect your legal rights when you are not ready to divorce. Turner has successfully guided hundreds of individuals and families through the most trying period of their lives as a skilled negotiator and savvy litigator. CASA directors estimate that the ongoing trickle of cases that were appointed CASAs under Kim's tenure has led to hundreds of children being cut from the benefits of the court-appointed volunteers, although those numbers are once again moving in favor of . A link to the online catalog is provided. She asked that her real name not be used, given the strong opinions surrounding Kim, so were calling her Karen. the official records of Tarrant County should be consulted. The County Clerk is the Hon. Family Courts - Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 1 - Roy Charles Brooks For questions in the Associate Court, contact the court at (817) 884-1991. Its been a year, but that hasnt happened.. Contact the court coordinator for available dates and to schedule a hearing. Contact the court coordinator for get agreed upon dates and times prior to setting the hearing. Whats missing from that data is whether reunification is always best for the child. DFW Airport,[18] the Tarrant County Hospital District, and the Tarrant Regional Water District also provide their own police forces. Texas CASA has been under scrutiny since the 2019 release of a study that was paid for by Texas CASA in 2017. 100 E . Family Law Center Kelleher, a former Tarrant Regional Water District board member, said she met Kim while campaigning for election to the TRWD board. Under Kims first year in office, the 323rd District Court, known as Juvenile Court, has seen the number of CASAs who were assigned cases drop from 282 in 2018 to 62 in 2019, according to figures provided by CASA. If we get 10 months into your case as a parent and you havent started a four-month program, you risk losing your kid. If you have any questions concerning your case, contact the Court Coordinator Lorraine Robinson at (817) 884-3298. Binnicker said CASA employees had a working relationship with Teel, understanding his position at the time as an associate judge in one of Tarrant Countys family courts. TexasLawHelp is working with courts around the state to provide you with accurate information. Males had a median income of $38,486 versus $28,672 for females. Read Tarrant County Family Courts Local Rule 4.01(12) to learn how to schedule a hearing. Kim said he will apply the same research and use of best practices to criminal cases that helped him improve the workflow and outcomes of CPS cases. Not for sale. District Courts 817-884-1450. View legal resources and information for non-custodial parents. 200 East Weatherford Street The next month, Kim ordered the volunteer to appear in court. 200 East Weatherford Street Stephen Ables, the presiding judge of the 6th Administrative Judicial Region, stepped in and recused Kim from overseeing the contempt motion before dismissing the case altogether at a later hearing. These guides and articles can help you establish, modify, and enforce custody and visitation in Texas family court. Kim placed a graph on the table that read, Case Duration (Days) from File Date. The chart marked how much time elapsed from the time a CPS case was filed until it was disposed of, which could mean parental termination or reunification. Kims supporters and critics seemed to agree that the closed-door nature of the session was a poor decision. Send your Exhibit List and exhibits to the court by 5 p.m. the day before the hearing. Phone: (817) 884-1101Hours of Operation: MondayFriday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the Tarrant County Court Records Search available on the County Clerks webpage. The information and forms available on this website are free. Fourth Floor, Northeast Corner I feel that Judge Kim looks at the whole picture. 233rd District Court - Tarrant County TX First Floor Family Law Center She said Kim is a strong advocate for the children and families he presides over. They are not for sale. While not required, non-attorney filers are encouraged to file as well. Pay Tarrant County Juvenile Services attorney, court, monitoring, graffiti, restitution, and supervision fees online. The Tarrant County Community Supervision and Corrections Department offers information about probation and criminal court programs including domestic violence intervention, mental health diversion, felony alcohol intervention, youthful offenders, additional specialized offender programs, community service restitution, and victim services. A detailed description of trial court jurisdiction, listed by case type, subject matter and court type is provided. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. Fourth Floor, Southwest Corner This article explains the roles of attorneys ad litem and amicus attorneys in family law cases. You should also contact the Domestic Relations Office with any child support questions at (817) 884-1475 or ChildSupport@tarrantcounty.com. Instead, we chatted about his first year in office and his efforts to improve the CPS case workflow. View guides and brochures from the Texas Bar Association on a variety of legal topics, including subpoenas, attorney complaints, consumer issues, dispute resolution, criminal record expunction, traffic court, how to select a lawyer, how to sue in Justice Court, name changes, and the criminal justice process. Victims of the Tarrant County Family Court System Fort Worth Texas Late-night poker games in his courthouse chambers and his chastising of one sex trafficking victim have left many questioning his leadership abilities, but a recent meeting of district judges showed his base of support to be as strong as ever. Judge Patricia Baca Bennett. This guide tells you how to modify an existing custody, visitation, child support, and medical/dental support order.