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The Second Court of Appeals, for Fort Worth and Denton.
The Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth hears civil appeals from Tarrant, Denton, Parker, Wise and other North Texas counties, so a Tarrant or Denton County case is appealed here rather than to Dallas.
What we handle
- Notices of appeal and the deadlines that govern them
- Briefing an appeal, or defending a judgment
- Restricted appeals from default judgments
- Superseding a judgment pending appeal
- Interlocutory and accelerated appeals
- Mandamus
How we approach it
The court sits in Fort Worth. Its district includes Tarrant, Denton, Parker, Wise, Hood, Jack, Young, Cooke, Montague, Wichita, Archer and Clay Counties.
A city that crosses a county line, like Frisco or Carrollton, can send one case to Dallas and another to Fort Worth, so the first question on appeal is which court has it. civil appeals · restricted appeals · superseding a judgment.
The court’s rules on AI
Texas state courts. No statewide rule on AI is in force. In June 2026 the Supreme Court of Texas preliminarily approved a new Rule 13 under which signing a filing certifies that the signer verified it, including that its citations, quotations and holdings are not fabricated; no final order had issued. The Business Court’s Local Rule 10(c) permits AI but makes the filer independently responsible for every filing. The courts of appeals have no AI rules but sanction fabricated authority under their inherent power, as the Dallas court did in 2025, and Ethics Opinion 705 advises verifying every output, protecting confidences and supervising its use.
Checked against each court’s own rules and orders on 5 November 2026 for John Henry’s talk “AI in Modern Litigation” at the Eastern District of Texas Bankruptcy Bench Bar Conference. Rules change; the full reference, with every order cited, is on the AI in litigation page.
Questions people ask
Which counties does the Second Court of Appeals cover?
Tarrant, Denton, Parker, Wise and other North Texas counties.
Does a Tarrant County appeal go to Dallas?
No. Tarrant County appeals go to the Second Court of Appeals in Fort Worth.
Where does the court sit?
In Fort Worth.