During a meeting of the Williamson County commissioners court, members voted 3-2 to adopt a resolution asking the Texas Legislature to create a new district court for Williamson County after extended debate over court workload, case complexity and interim staffing options.

The vote followed hours of discussion about whether the county should hire an associate judge (AJ) as a short-term response to a rising caseload or instead pursue a new full district court. County officials, judges and the district attorney described sharply higher felony filings and more complex case files compared with 35 years ago.

County Judge Bill Carvelle, who led much of the discussion, said the county has not created a new criminal district court in decades and cited Office of Court Administration figures showing felony filings rising from 766 in 1989 to 2,478 in 2024. "It's been 35 years since we've created a new criminal district court," Carvelle said. He also described the modern homicide case as far more document-heavy than in prior decades, noting a 2022 murder case with a 388‑page catalog and more than 11,000 pages of materials in the file.

Carvelle read an excerpt from a participant in the county's transformative justice program to illustrate the human impact of specialty court resources: "It's really nice. It's nice to be around people that...are trying to help. If you pay attention to it, this place will change your life," he read.

Other commissioners urged caution and recommended interim steps. One commissioner moved that the court issue an RFP for an outside evaluation of case‑flow management and judicial-resource needs; that motion passed unanimously. The same commissioner also moved to fund an AJ immediately and to adopt a resolution to seek a new district court in 2027; that combined motion failed after a roll-call vote. Opponents said the county lacks physical space and that an AJ cannot preside over jury or bench trials, limiting the position's usefulness as a full substitute for a new judge.

Later in the meeting a separate motion to sign a resolution seeking a new district court was made and seconded; that motion carried 3-2. The winning motion commits the court to pursue legislative authorization for another district court in Williamson County.

Speakers at the meeting stressed different priorities: some emphasized immediate capacity relief for prosecutors and the courthouse, while others emphasized long-term planning tied to facility availability and strategic moves tied to the county's Justice Center project. Several judges attended the discussion and the district attorney and local bar representatives provided input, according to comments recorded in the transcript.

Next steps recorded in the meeting record call for the court to pursue legislative approval for a new district court as described in the adopted resolution; the court also requested an independent evaluation to inform future requests and planning.