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Tex. Government Code § 21.001

This is the official text of Tex. Government Code § 21.001, part of Texas’s Government Code — covers the structure and operation of Texas state and local government.

Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.

§ 21.001. INHERENT POWER AND DUTY OF COURTS.

Official statutory text

(a) A court has all powers necessary for the exercise of its jurisdiction and the enforcement of its lawful orders, including authority to issue the writs and orders necessary or proper in aid of its jurisdiction.

(b) A court shall require that proceedings be conducted with dignity and in an orderly and expeditious manner and control the proceedings so that justice is done.

(c) During a court proceeding a judge may not request that a person remove an item of religious apparel unless:

(1) a party in the proceeding objects to the wearing of the apparel; and

(2) the judge concludes that the wearing of the apparel will interfere with:

(A) the objecting party's right to a fair hearing; or

(B) the proper administration of justice; and

(3) no reasonable alternative exists under which the judge may:

(A) assure a fair hearing; and

(B) protect the fair administration of justice.

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.