HSB 591

This bill relates to the apportionment of district associate judges. The bill provides a new formula to be prescribed when appointing judges based upon a weighted workload. Under current law, district associate judges are apportioned based upon county population. The bill defines the term “vacancy” to mean the death, resignation, retirement, or removal of a district associate judge, or the failure of a district associate judge to be retained in office at the judicial election, or an increase in judgeships. The bill provides that in districts that currently have more district associate judges than the new formulas prescribed, vacancies shall not be filled and incumbents shall not be removed because of a reduction in number of authorized judgeships, while districts having fewer or the same shall fill vacancies as they occur. In judicial districts that contain more than one judicial election district, a vacancy in a judicial election district shall not be filled if the total number of district associate judges in all judicial election districts within the judicial district equals or exceeds the aggregate number of judgeships to which all of the judicial election districts of the judicial district are authorized. The bill provides that during February of each year, the state court administrator shall make determinations of whether appointments are required and shall notify the appropriate nominating commissions and the governor if appointments are necessary.