ABSTRACT
This chapter begins with the defining law and discusses several key principles and concepts that underlie American legal thought and practice. It looks at the organization and structure of the judicial system in Texas. The chapter describes why Texas incarcerates and executes more people than any other state in the Union and explores what concerns people have about law, the courts, and justice in Texas and whether reforms might be appropriate. Dispute resolution in nineteenth-century Texas often dispensed with law and courts. Wilhelm Steinert came to Texas in 1849 to scout settlement sites in central Texas for German immigrants. The broadest distinction within both US and Texas law is between civil law and criminal law. The structure of the Texas judicial system and the broad jurisdiction of the courts are set in the Texas Constitution. Texas judges and lawyers are required to be members of the Texas bar and to pay annual dues.
