Municipal Judge

Summary

The City of Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S. Our employees serve the needs of over 1,000,000 residents, promoting our values of exceptional customer experience, mutual respect, embracing our diversity, continuous improvement, ethical behavior, and accountability.Pay Range: $64.00/hr.Job Post Closing on: Wednesday, October 28, 2026A Substitute Municipal Judge job is available with the City of Fort Worth Municipal Court Judicial Division. This part-time judge position will assist with all operations, services, and activities of the Municipal Court. The selected applicant will be required to work from the A. D. Marshall Municipal Court Building at 1000 Throckmorton Street and Belknap Detention Center at 350 W. Belknap, both in downtown Fort Worth.Judges may work up to 19 hours per week and are required to be on duty and/or on-call 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Specific work assignments will include day, evening, and weekend shifts. Substitute Judges are required to work weekdays, weekends, holidays, vacations, and as needed when the full-time judges are off. Court work assignments at A. D. Marshall Municipal Court Building, 1000 Throckmorton, are weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Arraignment work assignments at 350 W. Belknap are 1st shift (12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.), 2nd shift (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and 3rd shift (4 p.m. to 12 a.m.), seven days per week.The Chief Judge is responsible for screening applicants and making a recommendation to the City Council. The Fort Worth City Council appoints or reappoints part-time Municipal Court Judges for a term of two (2) years, commencing April 1 of each even-numbered year.Minimum Qualifications Juris Doctorate from an accredited law schoolTwo (2) or more years of increasingly responsible experience in the practice of law in TexasPossession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid license as an attorney issued by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas, and a member in good standing of the State Bar of TexasBe a citizen of the United States and the State of TexasReside in Fort Worth at the time of appointmentMaintain residence in Fort Worth during the tenure of officePreferred Qualifications Organization and time managementAbility to maintain control of a courtroomAbility to communicate clearly and effectively; resolve conflict; utilize strong decision making and critical thinking skills in accordance with law, regulation, and policiesAbility to interpret and apply legal principles and knowledge to complex legal problemsAbility to analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendationsAbility to establish and maintain effective working relationshipsThe Municipal Court Judge Job Responsibilities Include Presides over various dockets as assigned including plea dockets, juvenile/truancy dockets, environmental/code dockets, revocation dockets, arraignment dockets, and other dockets as necessaryArbitrates disputes and advising counsel, jury, litigants, and Court personnel on Court procedures; administering the judicial system; and settling disputes between opposing partiesIssues search and arrest warrants; setting and forfeiting bail for Class C misdemeanors falling under municipal court jurisdiction; and setting bail for felony and misdemeanor arrest warrantsProcesses Class C warrant queues, administrative dockets, cash dockets, and miscellaneous docketsReviews new laws, major court decisions, and other pertinent information relevant to Court procedures and operations on an ongoing basisAttends staff meetings, as well as required continuing legal and judicial educationEnsures availability to work all shifts, including overnights and weekendsWorking Conditions Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically require touching, talking, hearing, seeing, grasping, standing, walking and repetitive motions.Sedentary Work – Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, a negligible amount of force frequently, and/or or constantly having to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.Applicants for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility. Due to CJIS requirements related to system access, the following will result in being disqualified for this position: Felony Convictions, Felony Differed Adjudication, Class A Misdemeanor Conviction, Class B Misdemeanor Convictions in the last 10 years, Class A Misdemeanor, Differed Adjudication, Class B Misdemeanor Differed Adjudication in the last 10 years, an Open Arrest for Any Criminal Offense (Felony or Misdemeanor), and ALL Family Violence Convictions regardless of class.Conditions of Employment The City of Fort Worth is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. It is the policy and practice of the City to recruit, hire, train and promote a diverse workforce without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or another non-merit factor.The City of Fort Worth is committed to full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.Candidates who do not meet the Education requirement, may be considered if they have more relevant work experience than the position requires. Those selected for employment will be required to pass Pre-Employment checks depending on the position requirements. Those could include, but are not limited to: criminal background check, drug screen, education verification, etc. criminal convictions will be considered on a case‑based basis. Employees are paid by direct deposit only.#J-18808-Ljbffr

Job Description

The City of Fort Worth is one of the fastest-growing large cities in the U.S. Our employees serve the needs of over 1,000,000 residents, promoting our values of exceptional customer experience, mutual respect, embracing our diversity, continuous improvement, ethical behavior, and accountability.Pay Range: $64.00/hr.Job Post Closing on: Wednesday, October 28, 2026A Substitute Municipal Judge job is available with the City of Fort Worth Municipal Court Judicial Division. This part-time judge position will assist with all operations, services, and activities of the Municipal Court. The selected applicant will be required to work from the A. D. Marshall Municipal Court Building at 1000 Throckmorton Street and Belknap Detention Center at 350 W. Belknap, both in downtown Fort Worth.Judges may work up to 19 hours per week and are required to be on duty and/or on-call 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Specific work assignments will include day, evening, and weekend shifts. Substitute Judges are required to work weekdays, weekends, holidays, vacations, and as needed when the full-time judges are off. Court work assignments at A. D. Marshall Municipal Court Building, 1000 Throckmorton, are weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Arraignment work assignments at 350 W. Belknap are 1st shift (12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.), 2nd shift (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), and 3rd shift (4 p.m. to 12 a.m.), seven days per week.The Chief Judge is responsible for screening applicants and making a recommendation to the City Council. The Fort Worth City Council appoints or reappoints part-time Municipal Court Judges for a term of two (2) years, commencing April 1 of each even-numbered year.Minimum Qualifications Juris Doctorate from an accredited law schoolTwo (2) or more years of increasingly responsible experience in the practice of law in TexasPossession of, or ability to obtain, an appropriate, valid license as an attorney issued by the Supreme Court of the State of Texas, and a member in good standing of the State Bar of TexasBe a citizen of the United States and the State of TexasReside in Fort Worth at the time of appointmentMaintain residence in Fort Worth during the tenure of officePreferred Qualifications Organization and time managementAbility to maintain control of a courtroomAbility to communicate clearly and effectively; resolve conflict; utilize strong decision making and critical thinking skills in accordance with law, regulation, and policiesAbility to interpret and apply legal principles and knowledge to complex legal problemsAbility to analyze problems, identify alternative solutions, project consequences of proposed actions, and implement recommendationsAbility to establish and maintain effective working relationshipsThe Municipal Court Judge Job Responsibilities Include Presides over various dockets as assigned including plea dockets, juvenile/truancy dockets, environmental/code dockets, revocation dockets, arraignment dockets, and other dockets as necessaryArbitrates disputes and advising counsel, jury, litigants, and Court personnel on Court procedures; administering the judicial system; and settling disputes between opposing partiesIssues search and arrest warrants; setting and forfeiting bail for Class C misdemeanors falling under municipal court jurisdiction; and setting bail for felony and misdemeanor arrest warrantsProcesses Class C warrant queues, administrative dockets, cash dockets, and miscellaneous docketsReviews new laws, major court decisions, and other pertinent information relevant to Court procedures and operations on an ongoing basisAttends staff meetings, as well as required continuing legal and judicial educationEnsures availability to work all shifts, including overnights and weekendsWorking Conditions Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically require touching, talking, hearing, seeing, grasping, standing, walking and repetitive motions.Sedentary Work – Depending on assignment, positions in this class typically exert up to 10 pounds of force occasionally, a negligible amount of force frequently, and/or or constantly having to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.Applicants for this position must pass a Criminal Justice Information Systems (CJIS) fingerprint-based background check and maintain CJIS eligibility. Due to CJIS requirements related to system access, the following will result in being disqualified for this position: Felony Convictions, Felony Differed Adjudication, Class A Misdemeanor Conviction, Class B Misdemeanor Convictions in the last 10 years, Class A Misdemeanor, Differed Adjudication, Class B Misdemeanor Differed Adjudication in the last 10 years, an Open Arrest for Any Criminal Offense (Felony or Misdemeanor), and ALL Family Violence Convictions regardless of class.Conditions of Employment The City of Fort Worth is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. It is the policy and practice of the City to recruit, hire, train and promote a diverse workforce without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, parental status, military service, or another non-merit factor.The City of Fort Worth is committed to full compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions.Candidates who do not meet the Education requirement, may be considered if they have more relevant work experience than the position requires. Those selected for employment will be required to pass Pre-Employment checks depending on the position requirements. Those could include, but are not limited to: criminal background check, drug screen, education verification, etc. criminal convictions will be considered on a case‑based basis. Employees are paid by direct deposit only.#J-18808-Ljbffr