The Fifth Court of Appeals sits in Dallas and covers Collin, Dallas, Grayson, Hunt, Kaufman, and Rockwall counties. It carries the largest criminal appellate docket in Texas.
Despite 13 justices and the highest criminal case volume of any Texas court of appeals—703 cases disposed in fiscal year 2025—the Fifth Court holds oral argument in only about 12% of criminal cases, one of the lowest rates in the state. After a court of appeals decision, either party can file a Petition for Discretionary Review (PDR) asking the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to reconsider the outcome. The CCA grants about 5.6% of PDRs from Fifth Court decisions and, when it does, rules against the lower court in about 82% of those cases.
Fifth Court of Appeals — Cases
- 05-23-01086-CR — Lethridge v. State — direct appeal — theft
- 05-23-00029-CR — Ex parte Chanagond — pretrial habeas corpus
- 05-19-00676-CR — Ex parte Rivello — pretrial habeas corpus — aggravated assault charge arising from seizure-inducing tweet
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