Texas Justices Further Define Appeals Court’s Jurisdiction

Two dozen public agencies that manage water in Texas can’t litigate in a new statewide appeals court because they don’t fall under the executive branch, the state supreme court said, further clarifying what disputes the court can decide.

River authorities as political subdivisions or municipalities aren’t included among agencies that must try cases in the Court of Appeals, Fifteenth District, the unanimous court held.

The decision clears up confusion facing the nearly nine-month-old court, which early in its existence ruled it could hear an appeal in virtually any civil case. The Supreme Court ruled otherwise in March, limiting the ...