February 23, 2024 -- Since 2006, Gavel to Gavel has tracked state-by-state legislative activity with potential impact on state courts.
New and active legislation includes:
- Security
- Hawaii Senate committee approves creation of a misdemeanor offense for individuals who post personal information of judges and their families on the internet in reckless disregard of the risk of harm to them;
- Idaho Senate bill would expand existing law protecting personally identifiable information about judges;
- Virginia House and Senate unanimously approve bills to establish certain minimum standards for ensuring security and accessibility in quarters for magistrates including controlled access to interior spaces or intrusion detection, a secure physical barrier between the magistrate and members of the public, and a readily accessible duress button that connects the magistrate to local law enforcement; and
- Wisconsin Assembly approves package of 3 bills to increase court security and restrict access to judges’ personally identifiable information.
- Retirement Ages
- Hawaii House committees approve constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory judicial retirement age from 70 to 75; Senate committee approved a similar plan in January; and
- Oklahoma Senate committee approves bill mandating judges retire at the end of the term when they reach 75.
- Compensation and Benefits
- Georgia House drops plan to create a Judicial System Compensation Commission and approves new plan tying judicial salaries to that of federal district judges; state Georgia Supreme Court Justices would make 100% of the salary of a federal district judge based in Atlanta while Superior Court judges would make 90%;
- Virginia House delays consideration of a bill to increase amounts judges have to pay into their retirement plan until 2025; and
- Wyoming Senate approves by 16-15 a plan to increase the amount judges have to pay into their retirement.
- Specialty Courts
- Indiana House and Senate approve plan for "safe baby courts" as problem-solving courts focused on addressing the needs of families with children under the age of 3; and
- Oregon House committee approves bill to create Task Force on Specialty Courts to determine the number, types, and common components and procedural approach of a typical specialty court.
- Judicial Selection
- Mississippi House approves by 106-11 a bill to make elections for Justice Courts nonpartisan; most other judicial races in the state moved to nonpartisan in 1994.
- Other
- Tennessee Senate Judiciary Committee approves a bill that would require reporting of which juvenile courts are not in compliance with quality statewide data collection requirements; and
- Virginia House approves by 51-48 a plan to require that all clerk's offices have a sign that judicial complaint forms are available and requires the clerks to provide paper copies.