What is a “relator”?

A relator is the party who seeks relief from a Texas appellate court in an original proceeding. Relator is not pronounced the same way as realtor (i.e., a person who helps buy and sell real estate). Relator is pronounced ree-LAY-tor, with the emphasis on the second syllable. In an original proceeding, there is no appellant or appellee. The respondent is the person whose actions are being complained of by the relator. The respondent is generally a trial court judge. In an original proceeding, the opposing party in the trial court is called the real “party in interest” in the appellate court.

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