County court judge: Collin County needs two more courts now and 11 by 2030, urges courthouse expansion

Presiding Judge, County Court at Law No. 6, told the Collin County Commissioners Court the county needs two additional county courts immediately and could need a total of 11 county courts by Jan. 1, 2030, if current population and caseload trends continue.

The judge summarized Office of Court Administration (OCA) workload data saying Collin County currently has seven county courts of law but OCA figures indicate the county “should have 8.6” courts now, which rounds to nine, and that projection rises to 11 by 2030. “If we were to add 1 court at this very moment, we'd still be above 100%. If we were to add 2, we'd be efficient by 5%,” the judge said, citing the OCA workload analysis.

The judge told commissioners the county’s population has roughly doubled since the creation of County Court No. 6 and that new patterns — including changes in civil discovery rules, criminal-law adjustments for certain DWIs, the decriminalization and later re-criminalization trends for THC, and growth in eviction and eminent-domain dockets — affect demand on county courts. He said Collin’s current workload per judge is about 22% above the OCA median for similarly situated counties.

The judge also stressed operational changes and technology that have helped manage caseloads — e-filing, a jury-summons system that sends jurors directly to courtrooms rather than a central jury room, and the adoption of Zoom for certain appearances — while warning that some trends could reverse those gains. He said the post-pandemic move to digital filings and remote appearances preserved operations during COVID-19, but emerging factors such as legislative changes reinstating criminalization of THC or the addition of civil jurisdiction thresholds could raise filings again.

On courtroom design, the judge asked the commissioners to plan for larger jury boxes in future courtroom additions, noting some proposed legislation could require 12-person juries for higher-value civil cases. He told the court that two rooms originally planned for county courts were allocated to district courts when the building was completed, leaving no immediate physical space for new county courts until an addition is built.

The judge also raised a procedural concern about filings generated by artificial intelligence and said Collin County was among the first to adopt a standing order to hold filers accountable for AI-generated pleadings that include incorrect or fabricated material.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about whether existing courtrooms could be repurposed, night court or rotating use, and courtroom-sharing models used in other counties. The judge said he did not see a workable solution within the current courthouse footprint and reiterated that the county should plan for expansion to meet projected needs.

The judge’s presentation was made at the request of Commissioner Webb and was framed as a horizon-planning “prospectus” for courthouse expansion tied to the county’s 2030 population projections and OCA workload standards. He concluded by inviting commissioners’ questions and discussion.