§ 40.080 Rule 201(f). Time of taking notice

A judge can decide to officially recognize certain facts as true at any point during a case. This can happen at the very beginning, in the middle of a trial, or even later on. There's no deadline that forces the judge to make this decision at one specific time.

This matters because it gives courts flexibility. If a fact comes up that everyone agrees is true and easy to check (like a date on a calendar or where a city is located), the judge doesn't have to wait for a certain phase of the case to accept it as fact. The judge can address it whenever it becomes relevant, whether that's early in the case or right before a final decision is made.