Recent Texas Attorney General Opinions of Interest to Cities

Note:  Included opinions are from June 11, 2020 through July 10, 2020.

KP-0318 (Municipal Court of Record): Government Code Section 52.041 expressly requires each judge of a court of record to appoint an official court reporter. Accordingly, a court is unlikely to conclude that a judge of a court of record may appoint an official court recorder in lieu of an official court reporter.

Government Code Section 52.051 and Local Government Code Section 152.905 provide for the setting of salaries of court reporters. Neither apply to the position of court recorder, and nothing in either provision provides a basis to conclude that they may apply to other judicial positions. Thus, as a practical matter, a court should hire and remunerate a court recorder as it does its other staff not covered by these provisions.