Cooke County
Organized in 1849, Cooke County has a land area of 875 square miles and was named after Williams Gordon Cooke, a soldier in the Texas Revolution. As of the 2020 population, there are 41,668 persons in the county. Gainesville is the largest city and county seat of Cooke County.
The Cooke County court system comprises the following:
- Cooke County Constitutional Court - has original jurisdiction over probate cases and concurrent jurisdiction with Justice Court over civil cases with claims of between $200 and $10,000. It hears juvenile, domestic, and misdemeanor cases punishable by a jail term of not more than 1 year
- Cooke County Court at Law - has concurrent jurisdiction with the Constitutional Court over criminal cases. It hears civil cases with claims between $500 and $100,000. It may also handle Probate matters
- Cooke County Justice of the Peace - handles misdemeanors, traffic infractions, and preliminary hearings for criminal cases
- Cooke County municipal courts are in Gainesville, Lindsay, Muenster, Oak Ridge, and Valley View. These courts hear Class C misdemeanors that cannot be penalized with imprisonment, such as municipal ordinance violations, traffic infractions, and preliminary hearings for felony cases
- Cooke County 235th District Court - handles cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts in the county. It hears civil, domestic, and criminal cases
Cooke County public court records consist of court filings, writs, transcripts, orders, legal proceedings, and judgments of the county's courts. The county does not have a central database for storing public court records, as each court is responsible for its records. However, the Cooke County Court Clerk maintains all public court records from the Constitutional and County at Law Courts.
The Texas constitution mandates courts to provide access to these types of court records:
- Criminal Case Records
- Probate Case Records
- Civil Case Records
- Family Law Case Records
Criminal and civil public court records maintained by the Cooke County Clerk and the Cooke County District Court Clerk can be accessed via the portal provided. However, users must register before they are given access. You must submit a completed Records Request Form to access the public court records of the Cooke County Justice of the Peace Court. Each municipal court also allows the public to access their public court records online or in person.
