*Notes in this research guide were derived from the resources listed on the Historical Resources page of this guide and The Greenbook: Texas Rules of Form, 14th edition.
At three separate points in its history, Texas established appellate commissions to alleviate the workload of its high courts. The first Commission of Appeals operated from 1879 to 1892. The second Commission of Appeals of the the Texas Supreme Court operated from 1918 to 1945. The third Commission, the Commission in Aid of the Court of Criminal Appeals was created in 1925. While the Texas Constitution (Art. V, §4) provides continuing authority to the Court to appoint commissioners, this authority has not been exercised recently. Their decisions generally had to be approved either by the Texas Supreme Court or the Court of Criminal Appeals in order to constitute precedent.
