<P> The Texas Office of Court Administration provides information and research, technology services, budgetary and legal support, and other administrative assistance to a variety of judicial branch entities and courts, under the supervision of the Supreme Court of Texas and the Chief Justice . The office is led by an Administrative Director appointed by the Supreme Court and reporting to the Chief Justice . </P> <P> The State Bar of Texas (the Texas Bar) is an agency of the judiciary under the administrative control of the Texas Supreme Court . The Texas Bar is responsible for assisting the Texas Supreme Court in overseeing all attorneys licensed to practice law in Texas . </P> <P> Judges are elected in partisan elections . Trial judges are elected for 4 years, and appeals court judges are elected for 6 years . The Governor may fill vacancies until the next election, and judges traditionally leave office before their last term is completed . Judges may be removed by voters in retention elections, by trial by jury, or by legislative address or impeachment if state judges . Some incumbent judges / justices who seek reelection are defeated in primary elections, others in general elections . The chances of election - driver turnover on district and appellate benches is affected by the nature of the concurrent elections (presidential or mid-term) and by partisan tides, at least in the more competitive counties and appellate districts, e.g. Dallas and Harris County / Houston (county - level) and San Antonio (appellate district level). </P> <P> District court judges are required to be licensed attorneys . In addition to judicial powers, district judges also have administrative duties as well . District judges may remove county officials (2), officials of a general - law municipality (3), and municipal court judges (4) under certain circumstances . Also, they appoint and supervise the county auditor, oversee the operations of the adult and juvenile probation offices, and are granted "supervisory" jurisdiction over the county commissioners court . </P>

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