Tarrant County Criminal Courts: Where to Go and What to Expect

Jul 3, 2018 @ 1:50 PM

Tarrant County Criminal Courts

If you have been arrested for a felony offense or a non-traffic misdemeanor offense, your case will be heard in one of the twenty criminal courts in downtown Fort Worth. All the Tarrant County criminal courts at the County and District levels are located inside the Tim Curry Justice Center. The Tim Curry Justice Center is located at 401 W. Belknap Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76102.

If you have been arrested for a criminal offense in Tarrant County, call Varghese Summersett PLLC at (817) 203-2220.

Click here to learn about what to expect at your court setting.

CourtAbbreviationFloorJudgePhone
Misdemeanor Courts
County Criminal Court Number OneCCC15th FloorJudge David Cook817-884-1337
County Criminal Court Number TwoCCC26th FloorJudge Carey Walker817-884-1340
County Criminal Court Number ThreeCCC37th FloorJudge Bob McCoy817-884-2935
County Criminal Court Number FourCCC45th FloorJudge Deborah Nekhom817-884-2055
County Criminal Court Number FiveCCC56th FloorJudge Jaime Cummings817-884-2727
County Criminal Court Number SixCCC68th FloorJudge Molly Jones817-884-2747
County Criminal Court Number SevenCCC78th FloorJudge Cheril Hardy817-884-2969
County Criminal Court Number EightCCC87th FloorJudge Charles Vanover817-884-3403
County Criminal Court Number NineCCC98th FloorJudge Brent Carr817-884-3410
County Criminal Court Number TenCCC106th FloorJudge Phil Sorrels817-884-3423
Felony Courts
Criminal District Court Number OneCDC15th FloorJudge Elizabeth Beach817-884-1351
Criminal District Court Number TwoCDC26th FloorJudge Wayne Salvant817-884-1976
Criminal District Court Number ThreeCDC37th FloorJudge Robb Catalano817-884-1252
Criminal District Court Number FourCDC48th FloorJudge Mike Thomas817-884-1230
213th District Court213th5th FloorJudge Louis Sturns817-884-1977
297th District Court297th5th FloorJudge David Hagarman817-884-1256
371st District Court371st5th FloorJudge Mollee Westfall817-884-2989
372nd District Court372nd6th FloorJudge Scott Wisch817-884-2995
396th District Court396th6th FloorJudge George Gallagher817-884-2765
432nd District Court432nd6th FloorJudge Ruben Gonzalez817-884-2330

Click here for a printable map and directory of the Tim Curry Justice Center

What Should I Expect When I Go to Criminal Court?

Going to court for the first time can be a nerve-racking process. Taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with what to expect in court will help you feel more at ease when your first court date arrives.

If you have never been to court on a criminal case before, outside of a traffic citation, you might imagine that a court setting means that you will be in court in front of a judge, that the State will be prepared to call witnesses against you, and you might even have a trial. Generally, a case will have several settings before it reaches trial. This article will help set expectations on what will happen during the first court setting.

What time should I be in court?

The last thing you want to do is to get off to a bad start with your judge. You should know that it may be difficult to find parking near the courthouse. The time on your court notice is the time you are expected to be present in the courtroom, not parking or walking into the courthouse.

All of our clients are informed to be in court at least thirty minutes before their court settings. This ensures that even if you run into traffic, delays getting through security, or the elevators are down, you will still get to court on time.

Who is my judge in Tarrant County?

Tarrant County Misdemeanor Courts

Tarrant County CCC1 | County Criminal Court Number One (CCC1)

  • Judge David Cook as of 1/1/15
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Fifth Floor
  • Court Coordinator  –  817-884-1337

Tarrant County CCC2 | County Criminal Court Number Two (CCC2)

  • Judge Carey Walker as of 1/1/15
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator – 817-884-1340
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC3 | County Criminal Court Number Three (CCC3)

  • Judge Bob McCoy as of 1/1/15
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Seventh Floor
  • Court Coordinator 817-884-2935
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC4 | County Criminal Court Number Four (CCC4)

  • Judge Deborah Nekhom
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Fifth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2055
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC5 | County Criminal Court Number Five (CCC5)

  • Judge Jaime Cummings
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2727
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC6 | County Criminal Court Number Six (CCC6)

  • Judge Molly Jones
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Eighth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2747
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC7 | County Criminal Court Number Seven (CCC7)

  • Judge Cheril Hardy
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Eighth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2969
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC8 | County Criminal Court Number Eight (CCC8)

  • Judge Charles “Chuck” Vanover
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Seventh Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-3403
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC9 | County Criminal Court Number Nine (CCC9)

  • Judge Brent Carr
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Eighth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-3410
  • Docket

Tarrant County CCC10 | County Criminal Court Number Ten (CCC10)

  • Judge Phil Sorrells
  • Criminal Misdemeanor Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-3423
  • Docket

Tarrant County Felony Courts

Tarrant County CDC1 | County District Court Number One (CDC1)

  • Judge Elizabeth Beach
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Fifth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-1351
  • Docket

Judge Elizabeth Beach

Judge Elizabeth Beach presides over Criminal District Court Number One in Tarrant County. Prior to becoming a judge, she severed as a felony prosecutor in Tarrant County and chief felony prosecutor in Dallas County. She was appointed to the bench by Governor Rick Perry in September of 2013. She was re-elected in 2014 and her current term ends on December 31, 2018.

Tarrant County CDC2 | County District Court Number Two (CDC2)

  • Judge Wayne Salvant
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-1976
  • Docket

Tarrant County CDC3 | County District Court Number Three (CDC3)

  • Judge Robb Catalano
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Seventh Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-1252
  • Docket

Tarrant County CDC4 | County District Court Number Four (CDC4)

  • Judge Mike Thomas
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Eighth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-1230
  • Docket

Tarrant County 213 | 213th District Court (213th)

  • Judge Louis Sturns
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Fifth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-1977
  • Docket

Tarrant County 297 | 297th District Court (297th)

  • Judge David Hagerman
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Fifth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-1256
  • Docket

Tarrant County 371 | 371st District Court (371st)

  • Judge Mollee Westfall
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Fifth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2989
  • Docket

Tarrant County 372 | 372nd District Court (372nd)

  • Judge Scott Wisch
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2995
  • Docket

Tarrant County 396 | 396th District Court (396th)

  • Judge George Gallagher
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2765
  • Docket

Tarrant County 432 | 432nd District Court (432nd) – Sixth Floor

  • Judge Ruben Gonzalez
  • Criminal Felony Cases
  • Sixth Floor
  • Court Coordinator (817) 884-2330
  • Docket

What happens when I get to my courtroom?

When you arrive outside your assigned courtroom, if it is unlocked go inside and check in with the bailiff. However, if you are early, the courtroom will likely be closed and you will need to wait outside. Once you are allowed into the courtroom, the bailiffs will give you instructions as to whether you should check in with them, or have a seat and wait for the judge to formally call the docket. Docket call is the court “taking attendance” to make sure that all the defendants scheduled to be there are present. If the bailiff or judge calls the docket, be sure to answer out loud. You want to make sure that the court knows that you are present; otherwise, a warrant can be issued for your arrest.

The average docket can last two to three hours, depending on the volume of cases set. The bulk of your time in court may be spent waiting. When your attorney arrives, he or she will speak to the prosecutor on your behalf. There are generally two to four prosecutors and 50-100 defense attorneys waiting to speak to them. It’s also important to note that there is a hierarchy to the court system. Attorneys must appear in any felony courts first, and then make any misdemeanor appearances they have. The discussion will include the circumstances and evidence involved in your case, the likelihood of a plea offer and any other special issues such as eligibility for a diversion program. Many of these discussions also take place before court. Once your attorney has a sense of the State’s position on your case, he or she will discuss your options. You will have three options for how to proceed with your case. Option one is to accept the plea offer being extended to you; option two is to reject the offer and move toward a trial; option three is to ask for another court date so that either side can gather more information.

It’s important to know that the number of times a case can be rescheduled depends on the reason it is being reset, and also the individual judge’s discretion as to how quickly they expect cases to be resolved.

Being informed and having realistic expectations will help make the process of handling your case less stressful. If you arrive on time, are prepared to be patient, and maintain good communication with your attorney, you will have taken significant steps toward having a productive day in court.