District judge warns visiting-judge recusals are straining court staff, asks commissioners to fund assistant coordinator

The district judge told the Cooke County Commissioners Court that a pattern of recusals has increased reliance on visiting judges, complicated scheduling and raised administrative and staffing costs.

The judge described a recent murder trial that required four visiting judges across different phases of the proceeding and ended in a hung jury; the judge said coordinating visiting-judge schedules, summonsing juries and handling referrals has increased demands on court coordinators and court reporters. "It has resulted in increasing it has made it very difficult for a lot of offices," the judge said, listing the district clerk, probation department and coordinator workloads.

Because a COVID-era ARPA grant currently funds an assistant coordinator post through Dec. 31, 2026, the judge requested commission funding to cover the position from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, 2027 at an estimated total cost of $60,234 (salary plus benefits) so the office can retain capacity as the grant ends. The judge argued the position is needed to manage criminal-docket scheduling, the growing administrative burden tied to recusals and visits by out-of-region judges and the ancillary costs tied to travel, per diem and staff time.

Court staff said some costs for visiting judges and reporters are tracked by the regional administrative office and bills are pending; the judge asked the county to identify direct and indirect expenses associated with repeated recusals. No formal vote was taken on the request during this hearing; the court asked staff to refine the request and identify an appropriate line item.

Next steps: commissioners asked for a clearer line-item and workload justification to decide whether to fund the assistant coordinator from the general fund after the ARPA grant ends.