Jurisdiction: Newly Introduced
NONE
Jurisdiction: Floor and Committee Activity
Alabama HB 232 Increases small claims jurisdiction to $6,000. Approved by full Senate 5/19/2015.
Texas SB 531 Prohibits use of foreign/international law in cases involving marriage, a suit for dissolution of a marriage, or a suit affecting the parent-child relationship in this state. Approved by Senate State Affairs Committee 5/18/2015. Approved by full Senate 5/22/2015.
Texas SJR 8 (Constitutional Amendment) Authorizes the legislature to require a court to provide notice to the attorney general of a challenge to the constitutionality of a state statute and authorizing the legislature to prescribe a waiting period before the court may enter a judgment holding the statute unconstitutional. Approved by House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee 5/21/2015.
Qualifications and Terms: Newly Introduced
Alabama HB 673 Increases number of year of practice of law in order to be judge: appellate courts increase from 10 to 15 years; Circuit Court increase from 5 to 12 years; District Court increase from 3 to 6 years. In House Judiciary Committee.
Wisconsin AB 230 Requires a municipal judge to be a licensed Wisconsin attorney. In Assembly Judiciary Committee.
Qualifications and Terms: Floor and Committee Activity
Louisiana HB 350 Provides that law prohibiting those above the age of 70 from running for office of justice of the peace does not apply to those serving as a justice of the peace on or before August 2006. Approved by Senate Committee on Judiciary A 5/19/2015.
Nevada AB 66 ORIGINAL: Requires justice of the peace in township over 100,000 within a county with a population over 100,000 be an attorney. AMENDED: Same, but also increases civil jurisdiction of justice courts to $15,000 (all civil claims) and $10,000 (small claims). Approved by full Senate 5/19/2015.
Oregon SJR 4 (Constitutional Amendment) Repeals provision allowing for the establishment of a mandatory retirement age. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 5/18/2015.
South Carolina HB 3862 Provides where retired judge recalled into service by Chief Justice, he or she must be evaluated by Judicial Merit Selection Commission and confirmed by legislature every 2 years. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 5/20/2015.
Texas HB 257 Prohibits judges from having any interest in a business entity that owns, manages, or operates a private correctional or rehabilitation facility. Approved by Senate State Affairs Committee 5/21/2015
Texas HB 1923 Allows former statutory probate court judges to serve as special judges. Approved by Senate State Affairs Committee 5/22/2015.
Rule Making Authority: Newly Introduced
NONE
Rule Making Authority: Floor and Committee Activity
Illinois SB 23 ORIGINAL: Prohibits Supreme Court from denying law license solely because person is not a citizen of the United States. AMENDED: Supreme Court is respectfully requested to promulgate any orders or rules to provide person may be granted law license if non-U.S. citizen under specified conditions. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 5/19/2015.
Salary and Budget: Newly Introduced
NONE
Salary and Budget: Floor and Committee Activity
Louisiana HB 27 Alters deferred retirement benefits from the Clerks of Court Retirement and Relief Fund for members first hired on or after January 1, 2011. Approved by Senate Committee on Retirement 5/19/2015.
Nevada AJR 10 (Constitutional Amendment) ASSEMBLY VERSION: Creates Citizens' Commission on Salaries for Certain Elected Officers to set salaries for Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Courts, and other state officials. Provides Commission's recommendations are binding. Provides commission to be appointed by governor, legislative leaders, and chief justice. SENATE VERSION: Creates Citizens' Commission on Compensation for Certain Elected Officers to set salaries and compensation for Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, District Courts, other state officials and local including county commissioners, district attorneys, sheriffs, county clerks, county assessors, county recorders, county treasurers, and public administrators. Provides all commission members to be appointed by governor. Approved by full Senate as amended 5/21/2015.
Oklahoma SB 548 ORIGINAL: Increases salaries of appellate judges and justices. AMENDED: Same but reduces increases. Conference Committee measure approved by full Senate and full House 5/22/2015.
Oklahoma SB 549 Eliminates procedure linking salaries of other state officers/elected officials to judicial salaries. Veto overridden by full House 5/20/2015. Enacted over governor's veto.
Texas SB 1025 ORIGINAL: Provides county judges entitled to annual salary supplement from the state in an amount equal to 25 percent of the annual compensation provided for a district judge in the General Appropriations Act (currently county judges get $15,000). SUBSTITUTE: Same but reduces amount of supplement to 18 percent of the annual compensation provided for a district judges in the General Appropriations Act. Approved by full Senate 5/19/2015. Approved by House Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee 5/21/2015.
Oregon HB 2316 Increases certain fees charged by justice courts Approved by House Revenue Committee 5/21/15.
Selection: Newly Introduced
NONE
Selection: Floor and Committee Activity
Alabama SB 70 Expands merit selection system for filling interim judicial vacancies in Shelby County to include Probate Court. Requires approval by Shelby County voters. Approved by full House 5/19/15. To appear on November 2015 or November 2016 ballot.
Structure Changes: Newly Introduced
NONE
Structure Changes: Floor and Committee Activity
Alabama SJR 50 Creates Business Litigation and Complex Litigation Study Committee to study possible creation of business courts/divisions. Approved by Senate Rules Committee 5/21/2015.
Nevada AB 435 Creates 11th Judicial District. Approved by full Senate 5/19/2015.
Other: Newly Introduced
NONE
Other: Floor and Committee Activity
Connecticut HB 7029 Extends power of Council on probate Judicial Conduct to include probate magistrates, attorney probate referees, and candidates for probate judgeships. Eliminates 3-judge panels to hear certain involuntary commitment. Requires each probate court to maintain a checking account for its annually budgeted office funds, as transferred from the probate court administration fund. Allows, rather than requires, the governor to call a special election to fill a probate court vacancy. Requires the probate court administrator to choose another probate judge to temporarily fill the vacancy. Approved by full House 5/14/15.
Illinois HB 299 Provides that no court security officer shall be subject to the jurisdiction of a Sheriff's Merit Commission unless the officer was hired through the Sheriff's Merit Commission's certified applicant process. Approved by full Senate 5/14/15. To Governor for approval.
Illinois HB 3620 Provides that whenever any person is a party or witness in a civil action in this State, the court shall, upon its own motion or that of a party, determine whether the person is capable of understanding the English language and is capable of expressing himself or herself in the English language so as to be understood directly by counsel, court, or jury. Approved by full Senate 5/19/2015. To Governor for approval.
Illinois HB 3933 Provides that the Illinois Access to Civil Justice Council shall develop (instead of the "General Assembly encourages the Supreme Court to develop") specified pilot programs. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 5/19/2015.
Maine HB 611 ORIGINAL: Permits the State Court Administrator to order the disposal or destruction of unclaimed property confiscated at courthouses by judicial marshals if the property remains unclaimed for more than 30 days. AMENDED: Amendment removes from bill provisions eliminating the requirement that the District Court file a monthly report with the State Auditor regarding fines, surcharges, and assessments imposed by the court and clerks of judicial courts account to the State Auditor for all fees received by them or payable to them under oath. Approved by full House 5/20/2015. Approved by full Senate as Amended 5/21/2015.
Nevada AB 68 AMENDED: Expands Commission on Judicial Discipline's power to include a person who is a former justice, judge, justice of the peace or other officer of the Judicial Branch who presides over judicial proceedings if the conduct at issue occurred while the person was serving in any such position. Requires that any complaint or action filed in connection with any proceeding of the Commission be filed in the Supreme Court. Provides that any such complaint or action filed in a court other than the Supreme Court will be presumed to be frivolous and intended solely for the purposes of delay. Requires the Supreme Court to appoint two justices of the peace and two municipal judges to sit on the Commission for formal, public proceedings against a justice of the peace or a municipal judge, respectively. Requires each appointing authority to appoint, for each position for which the authority makes an appointment to the Commission, one or more alternate members. Requires that the *existence* of a proceeding of the Commission remain confidential prior to determination that a reasonable probability of grounds for disciplinary action against a judge exists and the special counsel files a formal statement of charges. (Currently only the proceedings themselves are confidential). Revises information Commission is required to disclose if a witness is prosecuted for perjury committed during the course of a proceeding before the Commission. Requires any minutes of Commission sessions remain confidential. Provides that, unless otherwise expressly provided by law, a determination or finding by the Commission is required to be recorded in the minutes of the proceedings of the Commission if the determination or finding is made before the filing of a formal statement of charges against a judge or the Commission decides to suspend a judge. Approved by full Senate, transmitted to governor 5/19/2015.
Nevada AB 69 AMENDED: Revises provisions governing recycling of paper and paper products by courts; revises provisions governing the duties of court clerks and justices of the peace in relation to the fees charged by those officials; revises provisions governing the collection and reporting of certain statistical information by district courts, justice courts, and municipal courts; changes the term "county clerk" to "clerk of the court" in certain statutes relating to the fees charged by clerks of the district courts removes provisions requiring courts to provide the Court Administrator certain orders relating to bail forfeitures; repeals provisions governing the selection of panels of jurors by boards of county commissioners; and revises various other provisions relating to court administration. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee as amended 5/18/2015. Approved by full Senate 5/19/2015.
Nevada SB 197 Prohibits filing false liens/encumbrances on judges or other public official. Approved by Assembly Judiciary Committee 5/19/2015. Approved by full Assembly 5/21/2015.
Oregon HB 2340 Restricts Social Security numbers, driver license numbers, and taxpayer identification numbers in certain court documents to last four digits of such numbers. Prohibits the inclusion of address of victim within judgment containing a money award in criminal action. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 5/18/2015. Approved by full Senate 5/20/2015.
Oregon SB 385 Adds justice court and municipal court to definition of "court facility" in which firearms and other weapons are prohibited except in specified circumstances. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 5/21/2015.
Oregon SB 919 Provides that person who falsely reports hazardous substance, fire, explosion, catastrophe or other emergency in court facility or public building commits crime of disorderly conduct in the first degree. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 5/20/2015.
Texas HB 1080 Expands existing statute restricting release of home addresses and similar information found on driver's licenses of judges to include that of associate judges and statutory probate judges. Approved by Senate Transportation Committee 5/21/2015. Approved by full Senate 5/22/2015.
Texas HB 4103 Authorizes a judge of a municipal court not reappointed by the 91st day following the expiration of a term of office who continues to serve for another term of office to continue to perform the duties of the office without taking an additional oath or affirmation otherwise required under the Texas Constitution. Approved by Senate State Affairs Committee 5/22/2015.
Texas SB 306 Details information State Commission on Judicial Conduct must release every year must include the number of complaints received by the commission, the number of complaints dismissed without commission action and the reasons (facts alleged did not constitute judicial misconduct, facts alleged did not constitute judicial misconduct or disability, allegation determined unfounded or frivolous). Requires disclosure of number of each type of judicial misconduct or disability that resulted in sanction or censure of a judge. Approved by House Local & Consent Committee 5/20/2015. Approved by full House, transmitted to governor 5/22/2015.
Texas SB 478 Requires the Supreme Court of Texas, as the court finds appropriate, to promulgate forms for use by individuals representing themselves in residential landlord-tenant matters and instructions for the proper use of each form or set of forms Approved by full House 5/22/15. To Governor for approval.
Texas SB 512 Requires the Supreme Court of Texas to promulgate, as the court considers appropriate, forms for use by individuals representing themselves in certain probate matters. Approved by full House 5/22/15. To Governor for approval.
Texas SB 1139 Requires annual performance evaluation by presiding judges for the Associate Judges for Child Support and Child Protection Cases and other personnel appointed under the applicable statutory provisions based on written personnel performance standards adopted by the presiding judge. Establishes that, if the statute that establishes a multicounty statutory county court does not designate one of the counties that compose the multicounty statutory county court as the administrative county for that court, the county with the greatest population of the counties composing the court at the time the court is established is the administrative county for the court. Authorizes the commissioners courts of the counties that compose a multicounty statutory county court to enter into an agreement to provide support for the court. Approved as amended by full House 5/22/15. To Senate to concur with House amendments.
Texas SB 1913 Clarifies the statutory authority of judges to hire a county court administrator in a county served by multiple state district courts and county courts at law. Approved by House Local & Consent Committee 5/20/2015.