By: Middleton S.B. No. 930
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the publication of opinions by a court.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Chapter 21, Government Code, is amended by
adding Section 21.013 to read as follows:
Sec. 21.013. PUBLICATION OF OPINIONS. The authorship of an
opinion published by a court is public information. A court may not
issue a per curiam decision.
SECTION 2. Section 72.086(b), Government Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(b) For cases on the docket of the court during the
reporting year, the supreme court shall annually report to the
office:
(1) the average number of days from the date a case is
filed with the court until the date the court releases an order
announcing its decision granting, overruling, denying, or
dismissing an application, petition, or motion;
(2) the average number of days from the date of the
granting of an application, petition, or motion until the date of
oral argument of the case; and
(3) the average number of days from the date of the
oral argument of the case until the date the court issues a signed
opinion and judgment for the case[; and
[(4) the average number of days from the date of filing
of a case with the court until the date of the release of a per
curiam opinion].
SECTION 3. The change in law made by this Act applies only
to an opinion published by a court on or after the effective date of
this Act. A court opinion published before the effective date of
this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date the opinion was
published, and the former law is continued in effect for that
purpose.
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023.