March 1, 2023 by Clarissa Ayala
The Supreme Court of Texas’ Issues Additional Emergency Order Regarding COVID-19
March 1, 2023
For Immediate Release
Houston, TX – The Supreme Court of Texas issued an additional Emergency Order, the fourteenth such order related to sealing and making eviction court records confidential. Eviction record sealing is key to improving housing security for millions of individuals and families. Lone Star Legal Aid (LSLA) has been instrumental in getting these cases sealed.
An eviction can appear on a tenant’s renter’s credit history for up to seven years. This can have a ripple effect of negative consequences. Apart from losing their home, they can be cut off from public transportation, school, and work.
Sealing does not entirely remove the eviction from your record, like an expunction, but it does make it so that future landlords will not see it when they do a background search. This helps remove barriers to stable housing.
The Emergency Order also requires Justice of the Peace Courts to allow legal aid or volunteer lawyers to be in court to represent eligible litigants, subject to our resources. As a result, we are a top connector of tenants to Emergency Rental Assistance funds available through the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) and Houston-Harris Help.
Our Eviction Right to Counsel (ER2C), part of the larger Eviction Defense Coalition, is like a public defender’s office. Any applicant eligible under financial guidelines receives full representation in eviction court. You can apply 24 hours a day and 7 days a week by visiting www.lonestarlegal.org or calling 1-800-733-8394, Monday through Friday, during regular business hours.
Lone Star Legal Aid is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit law firm focused on advocacy for low-income and underserved populations by providing free legal education, advice, and representation. LSLA serves millions of people at 125% of federal poverty guidelines, who live in 72 counties in the eastern and Gulf Coast regions of Texas, and 4 counties in Southwest Arkansas. LSLA focuses its resources on maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability; preserving housing; improving outcomes for children; establishing and sustaining family safety, stability, health, and wellbeing; and assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community. To learn more about Lone Star Legal Aid, visit our website at www.LoneStarLegal.org.
Media contact: media@lonestarlegal.org
