This section requires covered judges and certain court-related staff to keep non-public judicial work product confidential and bars unauthorized disclosure of it.
Sec. 21.013. CONFIDENTIALITY OF JUDICIAL WORK PRODUCT; CRIMINAL OFFENSE. (a) In this section: (1) "Judicial work product" means written, electronic, or oral material prepared or communications made in the course of an adjudicatory proceeding before a court determining legal rights, powers, duties, or privileges. The term includes all drafts of opinions or orders and memoranda of law. The term does not include information related to a person who is required to submit to electronic monitoring of a person's location as part of an electronic monitoring program under Article 42.035, Code of Criminal Procedure, or as a condition of community supervision, parole, mandatory supervision, or release on bail. (2) "Non-public judicial work product" means: (A) any written or electronic judicial work product other than documents filed with the clerk of a court for release to the public; or (B) any oral statement relating to judicial work product made in a closed session of a court or in judicial chambers. (b) This section applies to: (1) a court established under Section 1, Article V, Texas Constitution, other than a commissioners court; and (2) a court subject to this subtitle. (c) A justice or judge of a court shall comply with supreme court rules governing the confidentiality of non-public judicial work product. (d) A person, other than a justice or judge, who is involved in crafting an opinion or decision for an adjudicatory proceeding, including a court staff attorney, court clerk, or law clerk, shall maintain the confidentiality of all non-public judicial work product in accordance with supreme court rules. (e) A person, other than a justice or judge, with access to non-public judicial work product commits an offense if the person knowingly discloses, wholly or partly, the contents of any non-public judicial work product to a person who is not a justice, judge, court staff attorney, court clerk, law clerk, employee of an agency established under Chapter 71 or 72, or other court staff routinely involved in crafting an opinion or decision for an adjudicatory proceeding. (f) An offense under this section is a Class A misdemeanor. (g) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that the disclosure of the non-public judicial work product is authorized: (1) in writing by the justice or judge for whom the work product is prepared; or (2) under supreme court rules. Added by Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1054 (S.B. 372), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2023. Amended by: Acts 2025, 89th Leg., R.S., Ch. 288 (S.B. 1020), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2025.