Relating to judicial branch administration, including judicial officer residency, judicial officer retirement age, remote proceedings, court reporter supervision and duties, and civil pleadings availability, and including applicability provisions

This bill relates to judicial branch administration, including judicial officer residency, judicial officer retirement age, remote proceedings, court reporter supervision and duties, and civil pleadings availability. DIVISION I —— JUDICIAL OFFICER RESIDENCY. Under current law, a district judge must be a resident of the judicial election district in which appointed during the entire term of office. The bill expands this to include a county contiguous with the judicial election district of appointment. The bill also applies the new residency requirement to district associate judges, magistrates, full-time associate juvenile judges, and full-time associate probate judges. The bill repeals a Code section relating to judge residency requirements for a 1984-1985 transition for judicial election districts 5A and 5C. DIVISION II —— JUDICIAL OFFICER RETIREMENT AGE. The bill increases the mandatory retirement age of judicial officers from to years of age and makes conforming changes to judicial nominating procedures and senior judge retirement age. This division applies to judicial officers retiring on or after July 1, 2025. DIVISION III —— MISCELLANEOUS JUDICIAL ADMINISTRATION. The bill authorizes court proceedings to be held by remote means of communication. The bill amends how court reporters are appointed and supervised. Under current law, a district judge may appoint a court reporter, and a district associate judge may appoint a court reporter subject to approval by the chief judge. A retired justice or judge, or a senior judge, may also appoint a temporary court reporter under current law. Under the bill, the chief judge of the judicial district or the chief judge’s designee has the authority to supervise, schedule, and assign duties of all court reporters in the judicial district. The bill allows a judge presiding over a reported proceeding to have authority to supervise the work of a court reporter while the court reporter is reporting in that matter. The bill provides that the chief judge may delegate the chief judge’s authority to appoint, supervise, and assign duties of court reporters to the district court administrator or the district court administrator’s designee. The bill requires judicial officers of a judicial district to appoint a court reporter, subject to approval of the chief judge of the judicial district or the chief judge’s designee. The bill allows the clerk of court to provide access to a civil pleading before a memorandum of the filing date of the pleading for the appearance docket is made.