Methods and Sources
The Texas Public Defense Data Project aggregates available public defense data in Texas from state and county entities.
State-Level Data Sources
There are several datasets collected by state entities that capture the volume of criminal cases, how many are appointed to private counsel, the dispositions of those cases, the types of cases, and more.
Texas Judicial Council (TJC): The State-Wide Policymaking Body
While other states, like New York, house public defense oversight and data collection under the Executive branch1–independent of the judiciary–in Texas, it is the judicial branch that provides public defense oversight and collects statewide public defense data.2 Specifically, the TJC is the state-wide policy-making body responsible for gathering data about the effectiveness of local courts.3
Office of Court Administration (OCA): The State-Wide Court Data Collection Agency
Specifically, the OCA is the state agency charged with implementing the data collection of the TJC.4 While the general power of data collection is under Texas statute, the details of what data is collected is outlined in the Texas Administrative Code.5 The OCA is directed to collect and publish annual trial court performance measures, ensuring data is maintained at an individual court level.6
Court Activity Reporting and Directory (CARD): OCA’s Public Court Datasets
The OCA publishes monthly summary court statistics it gathers from each trial-level court in Texas.7 While courts report a variety of data,8 some of the key public defense data points included on this site are those contextualize the volume and types of cases, including the number of new criminal cases filed, number of cases ending in conviction, number of cases ending in dismissal, and more.9 These data can be downloaded directly from the state website.10
Date data was last downloaded and processed: December 2025.11
Texas Indigent Defense Commission (TIDC): The State-Wide Public Defense Data Collection Agency
Operating as a permanent standing committee of the TJC, the TIDC oversees state-funded indigent defense grants and county-level compliance monitoring.12 It is statutorily empowered to collect data specifically tailored to the operations of local indigent defense delivery systems.13 Where OCA collects data about courts, TIDC collects data more specifically about public defenders.14 Below are datasets that TIDC collects. These data are downloadable directly from the state websites.
Attorney Detail Report (ADR): Annual Attorney-Level Caseload Data
Indigent Defense Expenditure Report (IDER): Annual County-Level Expenditures
Counties are required to submit an annual financial report detailing all local indigent defense expenditures.18 The report mandates the granular itemization of public funds disbursed for appointed counsel fees, contract defender systems, public defender offices, independent investigators, and expert witnesses.19 These data can be downloaded directly from the state website.20
Date data was last downloaded and processed: January 2026.21
County-Level Data Sources
While the OCA and TIDC provide aggregate data for the volume and composition of court and attorney caseloads, it is each of the 254 Texas counties’ separate District and County Clerks Offices that are responsible for maintaining case-level data for cases filed in their jurisdiction.22 However, gathering case-level data poses challenges.
Texas Public Information Act (PIA) and Texas Supreme Court Rule 12 Requests
There is arguably no public right to case-level court data in the state of Texas. The PIA is a legal vehicle for members of the public to request information from government agencies in Texas.23 However, case-level data from court case management systems in Texas are not considered public records for the purpose of PIA because records collected for the judiciary are exempted from the PIA.24 While Texas Supreme Court Rule 12 governs requests for judicial records from Texas courts, judicial records do not include those related to its adjudicative function, including, for example, lists of traffic citation data.25 While appointment data or adjudicatory disposition data found in a court case file would not count as a judicial record, a report of appointment data for administrative purposes, like reporting appointment data to the Office of Court Administration would be considered a judicial record as is related in so much as it relates to the court’s administrative function.26 These limitations pose challenges for those hoping to evaluate the relationship between public defense provision and outcomes for defendants.
Public Online Portals: Public Case-Level Data
Local trial court records are managed by elected district and county clerks, who maintain individual case dockets and disposition entries.27 Access to aggregate or case-level public defense tracking is heavily reliant on the technical infrastructure of these local software networks and remote web portals. While public portals are available, they may only permit search of individual cases rather than bulk data, and they may require CAPTCHA.28