§ 9.003.Texas Rules of Civil Procedure

A single sentence, and it settles a question of institutional authority rather than of litigation practice.

This chapter does not alter the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure or the Texas Rules of Appellate Procedure.

The two bodies of law come from different places, which is why the sentence is here. The rules are promulgated by the Supreme Court of Texas; this chapter is enacted by the Legislature. A statute that silently rewrote a rule of procedure would raise a separation of powers question the Legislature had no reason to invite.

The practical overlap is real, and this section is what keeps both alive. Rule 13 of the Rules of Civil Procedure governs the same ground — the signing of pleadings, groundless claims brought in bad faith or for harassment, and sanctions for both. Without this section, the chapter’s own priority clause might be read to displace it.

The chapter depends on the rules rather than replacing them. Its certification provision does not require a signature; it attaches meaning to the signing of a pleading as required by the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. The obligation to sign comes from the rules, and the consequence of signing comes from here.

The sanction section then defers outright. It does not apply to any proceeding governed by Rule 13 or by the later sanctions chapter, so where the rule reaches, the rule governs.

Appellate procedure is named for completeness. Those rules carry their own frivolous-appeal provisions, and this section leaves them alone.