In 1822, Stephen F. Austin established one of the first courts in Texas and appointed a temporary justice of the peace. Since Texas was then part of Mexico, the Mexican governor replaced the justice of the peace with three elected officials. (Utexas) Shortly after independence, the Republic of Texas, under the Constitution of 1836, created a Supreme Court and authorized Congress to create lower courts. The judges of these courts were to be elected by Congress. Counties at that time had county and justice of the peace courts, whose judges were elected by the people. With Texas' entry into the Union and the adoption of numerous constitutions during this period, Texas retained a similar judicial structure. The current Constitution of 1876 created a Supreme Court with civil appellate jurisdiction, a court of appeals, a large number of district, county and justice of the peace courts and authorized the legislature to create other courts if necessary. Over time, the legislature added a number of layers to the court system, creating a large and complex court system with many overlapping jurisdictions between courts. Due to the complex nature of the current justice system in Texas, this paper will begin by giving a brief explanation of the structure of the current justice system in Texas and will continue by identifying some of the strengths and weaknesses of the current system and the need for reforms, presenting many proposed reforms and analyzes the reasons why the proposed reforms failed. The current court system in Texas includes five levels of courts, some created by the state Constitution and others by legislatures. At the local level, there are two courts; the justices of the peace court and the municipal court. The justice of the peace ... middle of paper ... is fair to everyone. At the same time, the governor can launch a popular movement to raise awareness of the need to reform the justice system. When the legislature meets, the governor can submit the amendment to the legislature for a vote. If the amendment passes, it could be placed on the ballot for voters to decide in the next election. Works Cited Champagne, Anthony. "Judicial Reform in Texas." American Judges Association n.pag. Internet. February 14, 2011. “The judicial system”. Texas Politics. University of Texas, nd Web. February 14, 2011. “History of Reform Efforts: Texas.” American Judicature Society, nd Web. February 14 2011..