Rule 26.Clerk's Court Docket

Last amended September 1, 1990 · Last verified June 28, 2026

In one sentenceRule 26 requires each clerk to keep a permanent court docket listing, for each case, the number, the parties and attorneys, the nature of the action, and the pleas, motions, and rulings.

Full Text of Rule 26

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Each clerk shall also keep a court docket in a permanent record that shall include the number of the case and the names of the parties, the names of the attorneys, the nature of the action, the pleas, the motions, and the ruling of the court as made.

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Plain-English Summary

Rule 26 calls for a second record, the court docket, kept as a permanent record. For each case it includes the case number, the parties and their attorneys, the nature of the action, and the pleas, the motions, and the court's rulings as they are made. Where the file docket tracks filings, the court docket captures what the court does.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the clerk's court docket contain?

Under Rule 26, the case number, parties, attorneys, nature of the action, and the pleas, motions, and rulings of the court, kept in a permanent record.

Why does Rule 26 call the court docket a permanent record?

Because the clerk maintains it as a lasting record of the court's rulings, not a working file that gets discarded once a case closes.

Does the court docket update as a case moves forward?

Yes. Rule 26 has the clerk add the pleas, motions, and rulings to the court docket as the court makes them, so the docket builds along with the case.

Source & verification. Rule text and the official Notes and Comments are reproduced verbatim from the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (Tex. R. Civ. P. 26), published by the Texas Judicial Branch (txcourts.gov). Promulgated by the Supreme Court of Texas. The plain-English summary is original and draws on official sources. Last verified June 28, 2026. · Official source

Also known as: clerk's court docketcourt docketpermanent recordrecord of court rulingsTRCP 26