Travis County Courthouse

I’m going to go out on a limb here and give this place 4 stars. I’m not a «fan» exactly but I was able to find parking easily, able to find where I needed to go immediately, the restroom was functional and clean, any staff I interacted with was pleasant, my hearing started on time and took all of 10 minutes, and I was out the door.
what more do you want?

it’s not a terrible court house.

Oh gawd, I’m a regular at the Travis County Courthouse. And I’m not a lawyer. That being said, if you have business to attend to involving a judge or Johnny Law, this place ain’t half bad. I always manage a smile and a greeting to the officers manning the metal detector, and it genuinely seems to surprise them, netting me a smile and kind words in return. I guess most people getting searched aren’t wildly friendly.
All the interactions I’ve had, be it clerks, judges, lawyers, or support staff, have been helpful and pleasant, which is A) surprising in a government building, and B) extremely comforting considering the circumstances.
So go ahead! Run that red light! Punch a horse! Pee on a lamppost! Get that divorce you’ve been contemplating! It’s all good down here! (Don’t actually punch a horse. That’s not cool.)

I realize my expectations should not be high as this is a representative of the US government… which is almost always without fail a disorganized, unprofessional mess. However… this I think takes the cake for worst experiences ever. My wife and I came down to renew our passports. We thought we were prepared… had all the documents, etc. We sat for 40 minutes in a cramped office where I got to see Sheila declare that she’s going on break… while there are 15+ people in line for passports… and they close in less than an hour. I also got to hear Armanda wax on about how angry she is with her son and how teenagers are the worst… I even got to hear half the conversation with her son that is «in so much trouble right now» that she «can’t even». And how her daughter forgot to drop off their rent check… good times. This waste of breathing space also failed to sign us in, just told us to wait… so we waited and waited some more after someone else came to do her job… guess she was too distracted by her personal life to keep on top of the grueling task of having people sign a piece of paper. She also forgot to tell us that we needed a money order and either a cash or charge to pay two seperate fees… and please bear in mind that this is also the person I spoke to on the phone to ensure we had everything we needed and everything. When I asked about payment she said they took care of it in house. Once we got back (and found street parking in downtown Austin for the second time on a week day) we waited again… Once we finally got called back the whole process took about 15 minutes… which begs the question «why the heck do the lines back up the way they do???» Oh right… stupid and disorganized… like the rest of the government. Is it too much to ask that these people handle our documents and time with a little respect, decorum, and professionalism? Even the sheriffs downstairs (oh yeah… we had to go thru security twice) said they were noticing a «pattern of misinformation». Come on Travis County… get it together.

Judge Herb Evans – A Very Scary Man
If you need redress in small claims court DO NOT choose Judge Herb Evans in Precinct Five, if at all possible. I write not as a disgruntled loser but as someone who was sued in his court and not even allowed to put on a defense because I never received a notice of the hearing on my case. He got agitated and angry when I tried to explain why the notice didn’t arrive and then ambushed me with an affidavit from one of his clerks claiming that I had called on the day of the hearing – a provable lie – he must have coerced the poor woman into signing a false affidavit. I know it sounds crazy, but that’s because it was – it’s a cliché to say «Kafka-​esque» but that’s exactly how it felt.
He drew an opponent in this year’s election – which doesn’t usually happen unless the judge is incompetent, lazy, or dishonest. I highly recommend voting against this Judge Evans.

I would not recommend going here for passport services.
My fiancé had his passport application processed and photo taken at this location. About 3 weeks later he got a letter in the mail from the Department of State saying they couldn’t issue his passport because the photo was done incorrectly. The photo was an extreme closeup of his face with the top of his head cut off. Who would think that photo would be acceptable for a passport?!
At least they agreed to retake the photo for free, but for $ 35 it should have been done right the first time. I’m glad he didn’t wait until the last minute before our trip to get the passport or we would seriously be screwed.

When will they get through working on this place it seems to me it has been going on on on.

Hey, Courthouse!
Remember me? We’ve had so many visits together!
Remember, years ago, when you granted me a divorce?
Thanks a million for that.
And thanks so much for giving me everything, and leaving him nothing.
You’re awesome! High fives!
And remember when I was sleeping and driving?
And then you took like $ 30k from me?
That’s cool, Courthouse. You were just doing your job!
Oh, Courthouse, remember that one «incident;» that felony? Oops! Sorry!
Thanks for making that disappear, although that cost me another twenty grand!
I really like you, Courthouse, although I feel like I’m going to throw up when I visit you.
Nothing personal!
And, dear sweet Courthouse, although you’ve always been there for me, I need a little break. No! It’s not you, it’s me! I swear. You’re great. You really are. And I know you’ll find another special person to share your time with. But right now, I can’t be that person for you. Oh, don’t cry. It’ll be okay.
I’m sure I’ll be back.

On Unilocal,4 stars equals «Yay! I’m a fan». I hesitate to apply this rather positive, optimistic sentiment to something that instills such fear in me as a courthouse. Nothing good ever happens in a courthouse, despite what the writers of «Night Court» would have had you believe. I suppose years of watching Law & Order’s gritty portrayal of criminals who get caught for jaywalking and then through some prosecutorial maneuver end up thrown into Rikers or Bellvue for the rest of their lives has really taken its mental toll. I think I watch too much TV.
The only – and I mean only – occasion I can ever «be a fan» of a courthouse is perhaps when it is to witness the marriage between my brother and his fiancée. Specifically, the marriage that was to take place in the Travis County Courthouse in the chambers of The Honorable Herb Evans, Justice of the Peace, Precinct Five.
I met Neal in front of the courthouse, where we spent the last few minutes of his single life together at 1000 Guadalupe. I reminded him that he was probably better suited for a settled down existence, so there wasn’t a whole lot of boozing and cruising in his past to lament leaving behind. I, on the other hand, would find some way to make «boozing and cruising» the theme of my future wedding.
The family started to arrive, and Lisa looked absolutely stunning for her wedding day. I stood back amidst the flurry of «awws» and boutonnière pinning so I could snap a few photos to remember the moment. Once we were assembled, it was time to face security.
Of course, some of the magic of the moment is inevitably put on hold as the bride is assuming the position for a magnetic wand to be waved over her white David Meister dress. I was just happy we didn’t have to remove our shoes a la the TSA, and unfortunately none of the guards were the types I’d willingly allow to do one of those invasive, provocative pat downs.
Once we were all through, I was gearing up for a long slog to some office on an upper floor, but Neal simply turned around and walked into a door that was right behind us, past the entrance for security. We literally could have walked in and immediately turned left, and been at the judge’s office. I understand the need for the security procedure, it just struck me as a little silly.
The chambers were comfortable, and appeared to fit our party perfectly down to the last bench. The judge showed up precisely on time, and Neal and Lisa were invited to sit at a table at the front to answer a few questions about their backgrounds and occupations. It seems like a nice, congenial gesture, but I figured it was mostly designed to smoke out any illegal aliens or marriages of convenience. Cue the Debbie Downer «Wah, wahhhhh.»
Finally, it was time. I sat in the front row, utterly taken with how surreal the whole thing was. Just twenty minutes ago I was at my job, going about my routine, and instead of the usual happy hour at some bar, I was attending my brother’s wedding. It’d be cliché to say I had flashes of holding him the day he was born or playing with him on our swing-​set as children, but I actually did. I could only imagine what Mom and Dad were feeling. It was all a little overwhelming.
The judge had this really eloquent way of wording the vows and extolling the virtues of marriage (One day, I hope the sex of the participants won’t matter across the country, as nothing he said was particularly gender-​specific, if you know what I mean). He was able to keep it secular while *just* skirting the line of mentioning a Deity, which someone as concerned about the separation of church and state as I am was listening for. Not that I would be THAT offended being a believer myself, I just wanted to see how theocratic the State of Texas might be leaning these days under Pastor Perry. All in all, I felt it was done appropriately and beautifully. Later, a friend of my dad’s commented «Who knew a justice of the peace could wax so poetically?» I concur.
The bride cried, which I totally hadn’t factored into the whole event, but luckily Mom had a tissue at the ready. Neal didn’t tear up, but that’s OK; the only thing that makes me squirm and extremely uncomfortable at straight weddings is when the groom cries and everyone goes «Awwww» in unison. I am not having it.
The ring exchange was sweet, and it was quite a kiss after they were pronounced man and wife. Like I said: It was definitely a happy, if surreal, occasion. As we exited the chambers, I heard a clerk explaining to a woman that she had her choice of pleading no contest or guilty to her most recent crime. Ahh, yes… and back to reality. It also made me realize marriages are probably the best part about the judge’s job.
The civil marriage was dignified, efficient, and we even had some poetic flourish to boot.
I’d also like to say in keeping with the surreal aspect of the event, I could have never predicted I’d be writing a review of my brother’s wedding, but well… there you have it.

Are they serious that the ONLY parking for jury duty is meter parking??? So does this mean during jury interrogations… you have to say excuse me and run put money in your meter? I think this is ridiculous…

I got my passport here instead of at the post office.
Courthouse: no wait at all; Post Office: 23 day waiting list… hmm
So I went with the courthouse; parking was awful, but everyone was surprisingly nice (it caught me off guard). Best decision I’ve made in a while.

I have to spend a lot of time here for work so I’ve had a couple years of regular visits to form an opinion. I know it’s confusing that you can only enter on the basement level, I see people all the time start to climb the front steps to the grand entrance only to turn around and climb back down them. Those doors have never been open in my lifetime.
One thing that bothers me though about this courthouse is the notary service. I had to get a document notarized and stopped by on my way to the post office. The cost is $ 3 cash only, exact change only. If you happen to carry around exactly that odd number of bills and/​or coins then you’ll have no problem. Now I’m a notary myself and I give my clients as much flexibility as possible. You can pay me in cash, check or money order. The only reason I don’t offer credit/​debit cards is because I don’t have one of the machines. So the moral of the story is find another notary if you don’t keep three dollars on you.
Other than that it’s a nice enough building from a historical standpoint. There’s no parking lot so if you’re in court for longer than the 2 hours the meters allow then you’ll get a lovely ticket waiting for you upon returning to your car. The attorneys in my office get about one a week but there’s really not anything we can do about it since you can’t ask the judge to wait while you go feed the parking meter.

All the staff seemed nice and whatnot, but the jug of water left for us only had about a ¼ cup of water in it. I didn’t ask for more, but felt I shouldn’t have to.

I don’t ever want to go to court. I don’t even want to be a juror unless the case is non-​medical, medical stuff grosses me out. I used to come here to file papers with the Travis County District Court all the time and I miss it so so so much since they’ve switched to e-​filing for asbestos cases.
I loved the staff here. Billy in 302 was always fun to talk to and I miss arguing with John (also in 302). Coming to court was such a nice little break in my day and I enjoyed walking up and down the old staircase and the old musty smell of the building. The only part I didn’t like was dealing with the women who set dates — they always seemed too busy and important to care about helping anyone, but you just know that their busy-​busy-​busy act is just a cover for the fact that they have Solitaire on the other side of that screen, and dealing with their attitude kind of added to the charm and mystique of coming to Court.
So it’s not the prettiest little courthouse in Texas, but the Travis County Court does have it’s charms including a pretty cool staircase and nice slow elevators with mirrors on three sides so you can check the back of your hair. There’s also a nice little cafeteria on the bottom floor of the building in case you ever get hungry or thirsty hauling papers into Court bright and early in the morn.

I have never been to court and there does seem to be a strange mix off folks that mingle in courthouses. I went here yesterday to finalize my divorce. While the whole experience will leave even the toughest of broads weepy eyed, here is why it’s getting 4 stars. I did not have an attorney as we were going the amicable route, at least as amicable as a divorce can really be, so the state attorney was assigned to go over my final paperwork. He was very compassionate and thorough when going over the paperwork. He would definitely get five stars. I wanted to tip him because he was free but I’m pretty sure that’s not kosher. Then came the judge, an older southern gentlemen type. He spoke of the beautiful gift we shared in our child, gave me Kleenex and told my ex he liked his tattooed sleeves pronounced us divorced and told us to have a really nice afternoon in the most sincere of ways. He would also get 5 stars. I didn’t feel like tipping him because, well because he’s the judge and he just awarded me a small sum for child support. I can’t give this place 5 stars for the obvious reasons, but for something I kept putting off, the way you put off scheduling a root canal, it was not such a bad experience as I had feared. So thank you Mr. State lawyer and thank you Your Honor. I’m sorry I forgot your names, hopefully I won’t be seeing you anytime soon. Can I get a Hallelujah?