Sec. 24.920.  CRIMINAL JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.  (a)  The Criminal Judicial District of Jefferson County is composed of Jefferson County.
(b)  The terms of the criminal district court begin on the first Mondays in April, July, October, and January.
(c)  The criminal district court has:
(1)  original jurisdiction of criminal cases within the jurisdiction of a district court;
(2)  concurrent original and appellate jurisdiction with the county courts at law of misdemeanor cases normally within the exclusive jurisdiction of the county courts at law;  and
(3)  civil jurisdiction in cases of:
(A)  divorce, as provided by Chapter 3, Family Code;
(B)  dependent and delinquent children, as provided by Section 23.001, by the Family Code, and by Title 43, Revised Statutes; 
(C)  adoption, as provided by the Family Code;  and
(D)  habeas corpus proceedings.
(d)  The judge of the criminal district court or of a county court at law may, on motion of the judge or the criminal district attorney, transfer misdemeanor cases between the courts by an order entered in the minutes of the transferring court.  The clerk of the transferring court shall certify the style and number of the case to the clerk of the receiving court and include the papers of the case with the certification.  The receiving clerk shall promptly docket the transferred case.  The receiving court shall dispose of the case as if it had been originally instituted in that court.
(e)  The court shall have a seal similar to the seal of a district court with "Criminal District Court of Jefferson County" engraved on the seal.
(f)  The court may sit at the City of Port Arthur in addition to Beaumont to try, hear, and determine nonjury civil cases and to hear and determine motions, arguments, and the other nonjury civil matters that are within the court's jurisdiction.  The district clerk or the clerk's deputy serves as clerk of the court when it sits in Port Arthur and may transfer all necessary books, minutes, records, and papers to Port Arthur while the court is in session there, and transfer them from Port Arthur to Beaumont at the end of each session in Port Arthur.  The Commissioners Court of Jefferson County may provide suitable quarters for the court in the subcourthouse while it sits in Port Arthur.  The Jefferson County sheriff or the sheriff's deputy shall attend the court in Port Arthur and perform all required duties.
Acts 1985, 69th Leg., ch. 480, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1985.