Monitoring the Session

HB 4388

judges may not hand off their judicial duties

Did not pass

Verdict: No flags

No flagsInitial review
Rep. Janis HoltRHouse 18

Initial review · graded Oct 20, 2026 · Headline, summary and grade are analysis of the bill text, not a finding about any person · How we grade

Caption

relating to judicial authority and duties.

Caption from analyzed text · version I.

Summary

Every judge falls under the Code of Judicial Conduct.

The bill says a person holding judicial office may not abandon or hand off the judicial authority and duties given to that office by the constitution, state law, or the judicial conduct code. It makes every judge subject to the state's judicial discipline provision and the Code of Judicial Conduct whether the court hears civil or criminal cases. It also bars county commissioners courts from adopting or enforcing orders that delegate a judicial office's authority unless a law specifically allows it, starting September 1, 2025.

Labels

Labels: STALLED AFTER COMMITTEE. Voted out of the House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence committee 6-3 on May 1, 2025. Never placed on a calendar. The bill died.

Receipt

The receipt

89R-HB4388 · 2025-03-11

SOLD BY

Rep. Janis HoltRHouse 18

ITEM

relating to judicial authority and duties.

WHAT IT DOES

Every judge falls under the Code of Judicial Conduct.

The bill says a person holding judicial office may not abandon or hand off the judicial authority and duties given to that office by the constitution, state law, or the judicial conduct code. It makes every judge subject to the state's judicial discipline provision and the Code of Judicial Conduct whether the court hears civil or criminal cases. It also bars county commissioners courts from adopting or enforcing orders that delegate a judicial office's authority unless a law specifically allows it, starting September 1, 2025.

CHARGES

[ ] NONE FOUND

TOTAL

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 19, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

HISTORY

  1. Filed
  2. Read first time
  3. Referred to Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence
  4. Scheduled for public hearing on . . .
  5. Considered in public hearing
  6. Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
  7. Left pending in committee
  8. Considered in formal meeting
  9. Reported favorably w/o amendment(s)
  10. Comte report filed with Committee Coordinator
  11. Committee report distributed
  12. Committee report sent to Calendars
FILED UNDER

No verified beat found.

No flags

THANK YOU FOR CHECKING THE RECEIPT

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

CAMPAIGN PAID FOR BY

Janis Holt

Donors

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$20KTexans for Truth and Liberty PAC$15KMarcus Goering$11,251

Not tied to this bill.

Sources

The author's campaign account only. Own money and internal transfers are separate on the member page.

Derived itemized flow · Oct 28, 2024 to Oct 17, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC$20,000.00

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$20,000.00

Cash
$20,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$20,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jul 18, 2025 to Oct 7, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012140, 101061664, 101070603.

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC$15,000.00

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$15,000.00

Cash
$15,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$15,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 24, 2025 to Jun 4, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101005987, 101061664.

Marcus Goering$11,250.63
Money

Missing data does not establish zero giving. Display amounts are rounded.

×

Texas Trial Lawyers Association PAC

$20,000.00

Cash
$20,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$20,000.00

Also funds 137 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jul 24, 2024 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jul 18, 2025 to Oct 7, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101012140, 101061664, 101070603.

×

Texans for Truth and Liberty PAC

$15,000.00

Cash
$15,000.00
Paid by others
$0.00
Total
$15,000.00

Also funds 44 other sitting lawmakers.

Derived recipient stock · Jun 24, 2025 to Oct 23, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

TEC account match.

Team
Sources

Derived itemized flow · Jun 24, 2025 to Jun 4, 2026. State data as of Nov 4, 2026.

Derived itemized contributions on live regular reports and uncovered special-session dates. Internal account transfers and daily reports are excluded.

Report IDs: 101005987, 101061664.

Votes

No floor vote loaded for this bill.

Witnesses12
For
7
Against
5
On
0
Names

For

  • Self4 registrations
  • Self; Justices of the Peace and Constables Association1 registration
  • Self; Texans for Judicial Accountability1 registration
  • Texas Apartment Association1 registration

Against

  • Bexar County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • County Judges & Commissioners Association of Texas and McMullen County1 registration
  • County Judges and Commissioners Associaton of Texas1 registration
  • Dallas County Commissioners Court1 registration
  • Self1 registration
Sources

12 parsed registrations across the loaded witness lists.

Derived stock of witness registrations. Repeated appearances count separately. Organizations and self-representation appear as printed.

House witness list. Source snapshot 2026-10-20, Central time.

Fiscal

No significant fiscal implication to the State is anticipated.

LBB estimate · fiscal note version I · source

Sources

Fiscal note · version I · April 19, 2025

No first-year general revenue figure available here.

LBB published estimates · flow over the stated periods.

Source snapshot 2026-10-19, Central time.

How this was graded

Analysis of text version I by claude-opus-5-5, Oct 20, 2026, against the published rubric.

Sources

Texas House · Filed Mar 11, 2025

05/10/2025 H Committee report sent to Calendars

Texas Legislature Online · Introduced · House Committee Report

Data snapshot Oct 26, 2026 at 4:20 AM CDT. Grades, charges, quotes and corrections follow the published record.

House committee · Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence · Committee vote 6 aye, 3 nay, 2 absent · Out of committee

Subjects

Courts--County & Statutory

Courts--Judges

Text

The text as introduced · 188 words

89R16950 BCH-F

By: Holt
H.B. No. 4388

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to judicial authority and duties.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 21.001, Government Code, is amended by

adding Subsections (d) and (e) to read as follows:

(d) A person holding judicial office may not abandon,

abdicate, or otherwise relinquish the person's judicial authority

or duties vested in the office by the Texas Constitution, a state

statute, or the Code of Judicial Conduct.

(e) A person holding judicial office is subject to Section

1-a, Article V, Texas Constitution, and the Code of Judicial

Conduct regardless of whether the court the person serves has civil

or criminal jurisdiction.

SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 81, Local Government Code,

is amended by adding Section 81.0292 to read as follows:

Sec. 81.0292. PROHIBITED DELEGATION OF JUDICIAL AUTHORITY.

A commissioners court of a county may not adopt or enforce an order,

rule, or other measure that delegates the authority or duties

vested in a judicial office except as specifically authorized by

law.

SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025.