Texas Government: Executive, Judicial & Local Structures

Vocabulary flashcards covering the Texas executive branch, judiciary, and local government structures, powers, and key terminology.

Plural Executive (Texas)

A structure in which executive power is split among six independently elected statewide offices to limit gubernatorial authority.

Governor of Texas

Chief executive of the state; currently Greg Abbott (48th governor) elected in 2014 with no term limits and four-year terms.

Lieutenant Governor (Texas)

Second-highest statewide official; presides over the Texas Senate and becomes acting governor when the governor is out of state.

Attorney General (Texas)

State’s chief legal officer; represents Texas in civil cases, issues legal opinions, enforces child-support, and handles consumer protection.

Agriculture Commissioner (Texas)

Heads the Texas Department of Agriculture; regulates agriculture laws, consumer scales, markets Texas products, and oversees school nutrition.

Land Commissioner (Texas)

Leads the General Land Office; manages 20 million acres of public land, mineral rights, disaster funds, veterans’ programs, and historic sites.

Comptroller of Public Accounts (Texas)

State’s chief financial officer, tax collector, accountant and treasurer; certifies revenue, pays bills, manages contracts and investments.

Formal Qualifications for Texas Governor

Must be at least 30 years old, a U.S. citizen, and a Texas resident for the five years preceding the election.

Informal Qualifications for Texas Governor

Political experience, alignment with the dominant party, name recognition, public-speaking skill, and media savvy.

Midterm Election Cycle (Texas Governor)

Gubernatorial elections occur in even-numbered years between presidential contests (e.g., 2026, 2030).

Line of Succession (Texas Governor)

Lieutenant Governor → Senate President pro tempore → Speaker of the House → Attorney General → Comptroller.

Hard Powers (Texas Governor)

Constitutional authorities such as vetoing, calling special sessions, appointing officials, and granting clemency.

Sign/Veto Power

Authority to approve legislation or reject it; includes whole-bill veto and selective line-item veto of appropriations.

Line-Item Veto

Governor’s ability to delete specific spending lines in an appropriations bill while letting the rest become law.

Post-Adjournment (Pocket) Veto

Automatic veto when the governor takes no action on a bill after the legislature adjourns; rarely used.

Special Session (Texas)

A 30-day legislative session called by the governor, who sets its agenda.

Appointment Power (Texas Governor)

Ability to name board members, some agency heads, and interim judges to fill vacancies, though firing authority is limited.

Clemency Power (Texas Governor)

With Board of Pardons’ recommendation, may issue pardons, commutations, and reprieves for state offenses.

Soft Powers (Texas Governor)

Informal tools—bully pulpit, party leadership, negotiations—that influence policy beyond constitutional powers.

Bully Pulpit

Governor’s agenda-setting and messaging power derived from visibility and charisma to sway public and legislative opinion.

Party Leadership (Governor)

Role as head of the dominant party, steering its platform, endorsements, and campaign funding.

Negotiation Power (Governor)

Use of staff to bargain with legislators, leveraging potential vetoes to shape bills.

President of the Texas Senate

Constitutional title of the Lieutenant Governor, who oversees debate and breaks tie votes.

Legislative Budget Board

Powerful body co-chaired by the Lieutenant Governor that drafts the proposed state budget.

Chief Legal Officer of Texas

Function performed by the Attorney General, representing the state in legal matters.

Child Support Enforcement (Texas AG)

Attorney General’s mandate to collect unpaid child support, with jail as a penalty for non-payment.

General Land Office

Agency led by the Land Commissioner handling state lands, mineral leases, veterans’ programs, and disaster funds.

Mineral Rights Management

Oversight of oil, gas, and other subsurface resources on state lands, performed by the Land Commissioner.

Disaster Recovery Funds (Texas)

Federal monies allocated for disaster relief, administered by the General Land Office.

Texas Department of Agriculture

State agency regulating farming, ranching, consumer scales, and promoting Texas agricultural products.

Consumer Protection (Agriculture)

Enforcement of accuracy in gas pumps, grocery scales, and other agriculture-related measures.

Chief Financial Officer (Texas)

Designation for the Comptroller, responsible for state revenues, expenditures, and financial reporting.

Railroad Commission of Texas

Three-member elected board regulating oil, gas, pipelines, surface mining, and energy infrastructure.

Bifurcated Court System

Texas’s split high-court structure: Supreme Court for civil cases and Court of Criminal Appeals for criminal cases.

Criminal Law

Body of statutes defining acts harmful to society and prescribing punishments; burden of proof is beyond a reasonable doubt.

Civil Law

Law governing disputes between private parties; remedies include money or actions; proof standard is preponderance of evidence.

Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Highest burden of proof in criminal cases, requiring near-certainty of guilt (≈99%).

Preponderance of the Evidence

Standard in civil cases where evidence must show it is more likely than not (just over 50%) that a claim is true.

Court Jurisdiction

A court’s authority to hear certain cases, defined by geography and subject matter.

Original Jurisdiction

Power of a trial court to hear a case first, accept evidence, and render a verdict.

Appellate Jurisdiction

Authority of higher courts to review and possibly reverse lower-court decisions on legal grounds.

Stare Decisis

Doctrine of following precedent so that earlier judicial decisions guide future cases.

County Commissioners Court

Governing body of a Texas county composed of a county judge and four commissioners.

County Judge (Texas)

Chief executive of the county (not necessarily a judicial role) who leads the commissioners court.

Sheriff (Texas County)

Chief law-enforcement officer overseeing the county jail, court security, warrants, and investigations.

County Clerk

Custodian of county, court, and commissioners’ records, including vital statistics and property documents.

District Clerk

Officer maintaining records for state district courts, including pleadings and evidence.

Tax Assessor-Collector

County official who calculates and collects property taxes, vehicle registrations, and other local fees.

General Law City

Municipality limited to powers explicitly granted by the state; typically small and numerous.

Home Rule City

Larger municipality that may act on any matter not forbidden by state law; enjoys broader autonomy.

Mayor-Council Form

City government where an elected mayor serves as chief executive; can be ‘strong’ or ‘weak’ in authority.

Council-Manager Form

Municipal system with a professional city manager appointed by the council to run day-to-day operations; mayor is mostly ceremonial.

School District

Geographically defined local government responsible for K-12 education, funded mainly by property taxes.

Board of Trustees (School District)

Elected body (about seven members) that sets policy, budget, and tax rates, and hires the superintendent.

Special District

Local government created for a specific function—e.g., airports, water, transit—operating independently of cities and counties.

declaratory judgment

A court decision that clarifies the rights and obligations of parties without ordering any specific action or awarding damages.

Oral argument

The presentation of oral arguments by attorneys before a court, allowing them to explain their positions and answer questions from the judges.

Majority opinion

Majority of the judges agree, represents the official ruling and provides reasoning for the legal decision made by the court.

dissenting opinon

A written statement by a judge or judges expressing disagreement with the majority opinion, outlining their reasons for dissent.

concurring opinion

A written statement by a judge or judges agreeing with the majority opinion but offering different reasoning or additional thoughts.

split case

They look for similar cases, across state that different court of appeals, have come to different conclusions about