7th DISTRICT
1852 - 1853 C.W. BUCKLEY
1854 - 1855 PETER W. GRAY
1855 - 1860 I.M. MAXEY
1861 - 1864 O.L. CLEVELAND
1865 H.C. PEDIGO
1866 SAM WILSON
15TH DISTRICT
1867 SAM WILSON
1868 H.C. PEDIGO
1869 SEYMORE WHITE
1ST DISTRICT
1870 - 1876 WILLIAM CHAMBERS
1877 - 1880 H.C. PEDIGO
1881 - 1892 W.H. FORD
1894 - 1902 STEPHEN P. WEST
1903 - 1904 W.P. NICKS
1905 - 1912 W.B. POWELL
1913 - 1916 A.E. DAVIS
1917 - 1918 W.R. BLACKSHEAR
1918 - 1919 W.T. DAVIS
1920 J.T. ADAMS
1921- 1928 V.H. STARK
1929 W.C. RAMSEY
1930 - 1932 G.E. RICHARDSON
1933 - 1947 F.P. ADAMS
1948 - 1949 E.A. LINDSEY
128TH DISTRICT
1949 - 1952 FRANK W. HUSTMYER
1953 - 1961 HOMER STEPHENSON
1962 - 1972 JAMES NEFF
1872 - 1980 GRAHAM BRUCE
1981 - PRESENT PAT CLARK
163RD DISTRICT
1963 - 1966 EUGENE HOYT
1967 - 1976 FRED TRIMBLE
1976 - PRESENT DAVID DUNN
260TH DISTRICT
1978 - PRESENT DON BURGESS
COUNTY COURT-AT-LAW
197O - 1972 CHARLES HOLCOMB
1972 - 1976 DAVID DUNN
1976 - 1978 GROVER HALLIBURTON
1978 - 1980 PAT CLARK
1980 - PRESENT MIKE SHUFF
A HISTORY OF THE DISTRICT COURTS IN ORANGE COUNTY
(MATERIAL FOR THIS ARTICLE WAS FOUND IN THE COUNTY ARCHIVES WHILE RESEARCHING COUNTY OFFICIALS IN 1982 FOR THE WALL OF HISTORY PLACED ON THE COURTHOUSE LAWN THROUGH THE JOINT EFFORTS OF THE ORANGE COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND THE ORANGE COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION.)
ORANGE COUNTY WAS CREATED BY THE TEXAS LEGISLATURE IN 1852 WITH THE COUNTY AND THE 7TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT EMPOWERED WITH JURISDICTION OVER CIVIL AND CRIMINAL CASES. PROBATE WAS HANDLED BY THE COUNTY COURT.
JURISDICTION OF THE COUNTY COURT WAS DIMINISHED BY AN ACT OF THE 16TH TEXAS LEGISLATURE IN 1879 AND COULD NO LONGER HANDLE CIVIL AND MISDEMEANOR CASES BUT RETAINED JURISDICTION OF PROBATE.
CIVIL JURISDICTION WAS RESTORED TO THE COUNTY COURT IN 1885, BUT DIMINISHED ONCE MORE IN 1887. ONLY PROBATE AND EMINENT DOMAIN WERE RETAINED.
IN 1897, THE 25TH LEGISLATURE RESTORED MISDEMEANOR JURISDICTION BUT IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1903 THAT CIVIL JURISDICTION WAS RESTORED ALONG WITH CONCURRENT JURISDICTION WITH THE DISTRICT COURT WHEN THE MATTER WAS IN CONTROVERSY. AMOUNTS TO BE CONSIDERED WERE LIMITED TO NOT LESS THAT $50 OR MORE THAN $1,000, EXCLUDING INTEREST.
THE 7TH JUDICIAL DISRTICT COURT EXISTED FROM 1852-56 WITH C.W. BUCKLEY AND PETER W. GRAY EACH SERVING TWO YEAR TERMS AS DISTRICT JUDGE.
J.M. MAXEY WAS THE FIRST JUDGE OF THE 15TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, SERVING FROM 1856-1860. THIS COURT CONTINUED UNTIL 1870 WHEN IT BECAME THE 1ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT.
OTHER JUDGES OF THE 15TH DISTRICT WERE C.L. CLEVELAND JR., H.C. PEDIGO, WHO SERVED TWO NON-CONSECUTIVE TERMS, SAMUEL A. WILSON,SEYMOUR WHITE AND WILLIAM CHAMBERS.
THE 1ST JUDUCUAL DISTRICT COURT EXISTED IN ORANGE COUNTY FROM 1870 TO 1949 WITH WILLIAM CHAMBERS CONTINUING AS THE JUDGE AFTER THE 25TH JUDICIAL DISTRICT WAS REMOVED. HE SERVED UNTIL 1880 WHEN H.D.PEDIGO WAS ONCE AGAIN ELECTED.
OTHER JUDGES OF THIS COURT WERE W.H. FORD, STEPHEN P. WEST, W.P. NICKS, W.B. POWELL, A.E. DAVIS, W.R. BALCKSHEAR, W.T. DAVIS, K.T. ADAMS, A.H. STARK, W.C. RAMSEY, G.E. RICHARDSON,F.P. ADAMS AND E.H. LINDSEY.
THE 1ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT WAS REPLACED BY THE 128TH DISTRICT, ORIGINALLY CREATED FOR A PERIOD OF TIME FROM 1947-51, AT WHICH TIME ORANGE COUNTY WAS TO HAVE BEEN PLACED BACK IN THE 1ST JUDUCUAL DISTIRICT. HOWEVER, THE 51ST LEGISLATURE MADE THE COURT PERMANENT IN 1949.
FRANK W. HUSTMYRE WAS THE FIRST JUDGE OF THE 128TH DISTRICT. HE WAS SUCCEEDED IN 1953 BY HOMER STEPHENSON WHO SERVED UNTIL 1961. JAMES NEFF HELD THE POST FOR TEN YEARS, FROM 1962-72 AND GRAHAM BRUCE WAS JUDGE FROM 1972-80 WHEN HE RETIRED. THE PRESENT JUDGE, PATRICK CLARK WAS APPOINTED TO THE POST AND IS SEEKING RE-ELECTION THIS YEAR (1984).
IN 1963, THE 163RD DISTRICT COURT WAS CREATED TO OPERATE CONCURRENTLY WITH THE 128TH DISTRICT COURT AND IN 1965, THE LEGISLATURE GRANTED A COUNTY-COURT-AT-LAW WITHJURISDICTION OF CASES PRESCRIBED BY LAW FOR COUNTY COURT. EUGENE HOYT WAS THE FIRST JUDGE OF THE 163RD DISTRICT COURT.
THE COURT-AT-LAW ALSO WAS GIVEN CONCURRENT CIVIL JURISDICTION WITH THE DISTRICT COURTS IN ORANGE COUNTY FOR SUITS, CAUSES AND MATTERS INVOLVING ADOPTIONS, WIFE AND CHILD DESERTION, DELLINQUENT, NEGLECTED OR DEPENDENT CHILD PROCEDINGS AND DIVORCE AND MARRIAGE ANNULMENT CASES.
DON BURGESS, WHO IS PRESENTLY SEEKING A SEAT ON THE 9th COURT OF APPEALS, IS THE ONLY PERSON TO SERVE THIS COURT SINCE ITS CREATION IN 1978.
JUDGES OF THE 163RD DISTIRICT COURT BESIDES EUGENE HOYT WERE THE LATE FRED TRIMBLE AND DAVID DUNN WHO IS PRESENTLY SEEKING RE-ELECTION AFTER SERVING SINCE 1978.
CHARLES HOLCOMB WAS APPOINTED TO THE BENCH OF THE COUNTY COURT-AT-LAW IN 1970. HE IS FOLLOWED BY DAVID DUNN, GROVER HALLIBURTON, PAT CLARK AND MIKE SHUFF.