Family Court

Family Court, or Juvenile Dependency Court, is a court of limited jurisdiction handling matters involving children. These cases may involve situations where a child is alleged to be delinquent, dependent, or in need of supervision. There are no jurors involved in juvenile court and all juvenile court records are confidential. The following cases may be held in the Walker County Family Court:

• Divorces with or without children

• Child Protective Proceedings

• Juvenile Delinquency

A delinquent is a child under the age of 18 who has committed an offense which, if the individual were an adult, would be considered a crime.  A dependent is a child who is orphaned, neglected, or abused and in need of care.  A Child in Need of Supervision (CHINS) is one who has committed an act which, if that child were an adult, would not be considered a crime but is in need of care or rehabilitation, such as one who is habitually truant, disobedient to parents, or is a runaway.

There are some cases which the juvenile court cannot hear even if the individual is under the age of 18.  The juvenile court does not have jurisdiction over juveniles 16 years of age or older charged with traffic offenses, except for driving under the influence (DUI) cases, or juveniles 16 years of age or older charged with any of the following offenses, which, if they were committed by an adult, would be:

• a capital offense;

• a Class A felony;

• a felony which has an element of the offense the use of a deadly weapon;

• a felony which has as an element the causing of death or serious physical injury;

• a felony which involves the use of a dangerous instrument against certain officials or persons; and

• trafficking in drugs.

Court Information

Every month, the Family Court will hold one week of domestic relations trials. To determine if you are on the docket for these trials and others, please contact your attorney.