What happens next
Most people have never been through this, and nobody stops to explain it. Here is what happens, stage by stage, in the different kinds of criminal case.
General information about how cases move through Texas and federal courts. It is not legal advice about your case, and reading it does not make you a client. Some cases are much simpler than this and many include steps that are not here. Timing varies by court, by county and by case, so nothing on this page is a schedule. The notice you receive from the court always controls over anything here. Citations are to Texas and federal law as of September 2026.
Looking for your own court date?
Harris County publishes a case lookup by name and date of birth. It is the District Clerk’s record, not this office’s, and the notice you receive from the court controls over anything shown online.
Each stage above is written up at length in The Journal, with the statutes and the cases cited. If you want the version with a person in it rather than a procedure, start with what a cash bond does to a man with no cash.
Still not sure where you are?
Call or send a text. Telling you which stage you are at, and what happens at the next one, costs nothing.
