Bills › 89th General Assembly
Relating to the apportionment of district associate judges
Sponsored by the Senate Judiciary Committee
Topics:Courts & civil law
Where it is now
- Done: IntroducedJanuary 12, 2022
- Done: SubcommitteeJanuary 12, 2022
- Done: Senate committeeFebruary 8, 2022
- Stopped: Passes the SenateDied when the General Assembly ended
- Skipped: House committeeSkipped
- Done: Passes the HouseFebruary 23, 202297–0
- Next: To the Governor
- Next: Signed into law
Died when the session ended The 2022 session adjourned on May 24, 2022, the General Assembly’s last regular session. Bills that didn’t pass both chambers died. What’s a funnel?
What’s in it
AI summary Instead of using county population to decide how many district associate judges are needed, this bill uses a formula based on how much work they actually do. If a judge leaves their job, the vacancy will only be filled if the new formula shows that the area still needs that many judges. Current judges will not be removed from their positions even if the new rules mean their area needs fewer people.1
Read the official explanation
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.
Senate subcommittee
Named January 12, 2022 (as SSB 3020). On January 26, 2022 it recommended passage.
Three legislators hear a bill first and recommend what the committee should do; it’s the best time to weigh in. How to take part
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89th General Assembly