Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Texas is unique among states in that it has two ultimate appeals courts: The Texas Supreme Court, which handles civil appeals from state trial courts and lower appellate courts, and The Court of Criminal Appeals, which handles only Criminal appeals. Appeals from lower courts are not automatic, however. A Petition for Discretionary Review, or "PDR" is filed by the Appellant (party filing the appeal) and it is up the discretion of the Court of Criminal Appeals to decide to hear the appeal.
The Court of Criminal Appeals also handles post-conviction writs of Habeas Corpus which are first filed in the court of conviction for "fact-finding" hearings. The results of these hearings are then forwarded by the District Judge to the Court of Criminal Appeals with a recommendation as to the action to be taken. The writ is also known as an "11.07 writ," shorthand for Rule 11.07 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, where the rules for filing this pleading are found.
