Jurisdiction: Newly Introduced
Iowa HB 101 Prohibits county recorder from issuing marriage license to same sex couples. Prohibits supreme court from overturning statute prohibiting the issuance. In House Judiciary Committee.
Texas HB 1091 Provides challenges to state laws to be heard on request of Attorney General by three-judge panels of District Court two of whom are to be chosen by Chief Justice. In House (no committee).
Texas SB 455 Provides challenges to state laws to be heard on request of Attorney General by three-judge panels of District Court two of whom are to be chosen by Chief Justice. In Senate State Affairs Committee.
Jurisdiction: Floor and Committee Activity
Hawaii HB 291 Establishes the exclusive jurisdiction of the small claims division of the district court over cases in which the amount claimed is $1,000 or less. Expands the small claims division's jurisdiction over personal property cases to include any personal property worth $5,000 or less. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/3/15.
Mississippi HB 177 Prohibits use of foreign law in state's courts. Approved by full House 2/5/15.
New Hampshire CACR 3 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides legislature alone shall have the authority and full discretion to define reasonable standards for elementary and secondary public education and to establish reasonable standards of accountability therefore. Provides legislature alone shall have full discretion to determine the amount of, and methods of raising and distributing, state funding for education. Rejected by Senate Education Committee 2/5/15.
Qualifications and Terms: Newly Introduced
Alabama SB 15 (Constitutional Amendment) Increases mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75. In Senate Finance Committee.
Arkansas HB 1202 Provides judges may serve in office until 72 (currently 70) without forfeiting retirement benefits. In Joint Public Retirement Committee.
Idaho SB 1027 Allows retired senior status judges to serve or work for state government, for example, as a teacher at a university. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
New Mexico SB 434 For counties over 600,000, provides probate court judge must be attorney. In Senate Rules Committee.
North Carolina HB 50 Allows judges to serve until the *end of the year* they reach 72 (currently may serve until *end of the month*). In House Pensions and Retirement Committee.
North Dakota HCR 3035 (Constitutional Amendment) Requires a member of the legislative assembly, an elected executive branch officer, a justice of the supreme court, and a district court judge to be a qualified elector of the state and of the district the individual serves or represents throughout the individual's term of office. In House Judiciary Committee.
Oklahoma HB 1905 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides for term limits for county officials including clerk of court of 16 years. In House Rules Committee.
Tennessee HB 526 Permits the supreme court to commission as senior judge a state trial court judge who served at least one full eight-year term but was not reelected following the judge's most recent term of judicial service. In House (no committee).
Tennessee SB 408 Permits the supreme court to commission as senior judge a state trial court judge who served at least one full eight-year term but was not reelected following the judge's most recent term of judicial service. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Texas HJR 81 (Constitutional Amendment) Expands terms for District Judges from 4 to 6 years. In House (no committee).
Qualifications and Terms: Floor and Committee Activity
Pennsylvania HB 221 Allows for training for judges in the identification and recognition of individuals with a mental health condition, autism, or an intellectual disability. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/3/15.
Pennsylvania HB 89 Increases mandatory judicial retirement age to 75, contingent on passage of constitutional amendment. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/3/15.
Pennsylvania HB 90 (Constitutional Amendment) Increases mandatory judicial retirement age from 70 to 75. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/3/15.
Utah SB 79 Provides justices of the peace as subject to impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors or malfeasance in office. Approved by Senate Government Operations and Political Subdivisions Committee 2/4/15.
Virginia HB 1984 ORIGINAL: Increases the mandatory retirement age of judges from 70 to 73 if, for any judge who attains 70 years of age, the General Assembly authorizes the judge to continue serving the current term or upon expiration of the current term elects such judge to an additional term. AMENDED: Increases the mandatory retirement age of judges from 70 to 73 without conditions. Approved as amended by House Courts of Justice Committee 2/4/15.
Virginia SB 1196 Increases the mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 years of age to 73 years of age. Approved by Senate Finance Committee 2/5/14.
Rule Making Authority: Newly Introduced
Montana HB 424 Repeals Supreme Courts power to close a meeting that involves judicial deliberations in an adversarial proceeding. In House Judiciary Committee.
Rule Making Authority: Floor and Committee Activity
NONE
Salary and Budget: Newly Introduced
Arkansas HB 1193 Clarifies that district court fees shall be credited to the general fund of the county. In House City, County, and Local Affairs Committee.
Kentucky HB 241 Modifies the method of calculating the per diem salary for retired judges or justices called to temporary active judicial service. In House Judiciary Committee.
Maryland SB 317 Requires the Court of Appeals to allow an applicant to the Bar or a lawyer to use a credit or debit card to pay specified fees. Authorizes Court of Appeals to charge a processing fee for each credit or debit card payment not exceeding the actual cost incurred in processing the credit or debit card payment. In Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
Oklahoma HB 2162 Requires audit of Oklahoma Court Information System Revolving Fund. In House Appropriations and Budget Committee.
Pennsylvania HB 320 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides all costs and fees collected by courts in state to go to Judiciary Operations Fund under control of Supreme Court. Provides Supreme Court to make its own budget and expend fund from Judiciary Operations Fund. Provides if Fund is insufficient to maintain courts, Supreme Court may ask for additional appropriations from executive and legislature. In House Judiciary Committee.
Utah HB 278 Allows local governments in certain counties to increase or decrease the compensation of justice court judges. In House Judiciary Committee.
Salary and Budget: Floor and Committee Activity
Hawaii SB 1209 Harmonizes age and service requirements for judges who are members of the employees' retirement system with requirements for other contributory plan members. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/3/15.
Indiana HB 1425 Increases the automated record keeping fee collected after June 30, 2015, from $5 to $9. Provides that 100% of the automated record keeping fee is distributed to the auditor of state for deposit in the state user fee fund. Increases the document storage fee from $2 to $4. Approved by House Courts and Criminal Code Committee 2/5/15.
Indiana SB 422 AS FLOOR AMENDED: Requires clerks collect $2 court security fees and distribute 100% to the auditor of state for transfer to fund administered by the Indiana judicial center. Authorizes the judicial center to award grants from the fund to defray the costs of installing, operating, maintaining, and upgrading security measures, plans, procedures, and systems in and around: (1) courtrooms; and (2) buildings that contain courtrooms; located in the county Floor amended 2/2/15.
Kansas SB 44 Allows the Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court to transfer funding from the Electronic Filing and Management Fund to Docket Fee Fund to provide funding for court operations. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/5/15.
New Hampshire SB 90 Changes to the preparation process for the judicial branch budget. Approved by Senate Finance Committee 2/5/15.
New Mexico HB 89 Creates Court Language Access Fund to provide court interpreters, operate and staff the New Mexico Center for Language Access, etc. Approved by House Government Affairs Committee 2/2/15.
Virginia HB 1506 Requires that the guidelines for conditions of all deferred or installment payment agreements for the payment of court-ordered fines or other penalties be reduced to writing as well as posted in the clerk's office and on the court's website, if a website is available. Approved by full House 2/3/15.
Virginia HJR 598 Creates a joint subcommittee to study the use of driver's license suspension as a collection method for unpaid court fines and costs and make recommendations for improvements to the current law. Approved by House Rules Committee 2/6/15. Approved by full House 2/9/15
Virginia SB 736 Increases from $10 to $20 the maximum amount a local governing body may assess against a convicted defendant as part of the costs in a criminal or traffic case in district or circuit court to fund courthouse security. Approved by full Senate 2/5/15.
Selection: Newly Introduced
Illinois HJR 20 (Constitutional Amendment) Creates a Judicial Retention Commission in each Judicial District to evaluate the qualifications of Supreme and Appellate Court Judges seeking retention and creates a Judicial Retention Commission in each Judicial Circuit to determine the qualification for Judges for retention in the Circuit. Provides for the impaneling of additional Judicial Retention Commissions in a Circuit if more than 40 Judges have filed a declaration of candidacy for retention. Provides that Judges found unqualified by the Commissions may seek retention in retention elections. Provides that Judges found qualified are retained in office. In House Rules Committee.
Maryland SB 367 (Constitutional Amendment) Ends elections for Circuit Court. Requires the Governor, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint judges and to reappoint and reconfirm for additional terms. Extends term of office of circuit court judges from 15 to 10 years. Allows but does not require Governor create judicial nominating commission; if such commission created must reflect diversity of state. In Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
North Carolina HB 8 Makes races for judicial office partisan (currently nonpartisan). In House Elections Committee.
New Mexico HJR 11 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides for nonpartisan judicial elections In House Government Committee.
New York SB 3088 Provides that housing judges of the New York city civil court shall be elected (currently appointed) for terms of ten years. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Utah SB 141 Requires the justice court nominating commission to submit three names to the appointing authority. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Washington HB 2030 Requires Supreme Court justices be elected from districts, contingent on passage of constitutional amendment. In House Judiciary Committee.
Washington HJR 4211 (Constitutional Amendment) Requires Supreme Court justices be elected from districts, contingent on passage of constitutional amendment. In House Judiciary Committee.
West Virginia HB 2588 Requires financial disclosure statements for some judges be filed with Secretary of State rather than county clerk. In House Judiciary Committee.
Selection: Floor and Committee Activity
New Hampshire CACR 8 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides judges to be nominated by the Governor and the Council and confirmed by a majority of the Legislature in joint session. Rejected by House Judiciary Committee 2/5/15
Virginia HB 1282 Restricts the General Assembly from electing a person to a judgeship if the person is an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, brother, or sister) of a (i) member of the General Assembly or (ii) former member of the General Assembly for at least 24 months after such member has ceased to be a member of the General Assembly. Tabled by House Courts of Justice subcommittee 2/4/15.
Virginia SB 1254 Restricts the General Assembly from electing a person to a judgeship if the person is an immediate family member (spouse, parent, child, brother, or sister) of a (i) member of the General Assembly or (ii) former member of the General Assembly for at least 24 months after such member has ceased to be a member of the General Assembly. Killed in Senate Courts of Justice Committee 2/4/15.
Virginia SB 1261 Creates Judicial Nominations Commissions, elected by the General Assembly, to recommend judicial candidates to the General Assembly and/or Governor. Commission's recommendations are nonbinding. Number of attorneys may not exceed 30 percent of the entire panel. Killed in Senate Courts of Justice Committee 2/2/15.
West Virginia HB 2010 Requires nonpartisan elections of judges. Provides judges to be elected to individual seats (currently top vote-getters win). Approved by full House 2/3/15.
Structure Changes: Newly Introduced
Maryland HB 402 Establishes the Task Force to Study the Establishment of Health Courts to study the adequacy and cost of State laws and policies relating to the litigation of medical malpractice cases and make recommendations regarding the establishment of health courts to hear medical malpractice cases and the feasibility of assigning a medical malpractice case to a single judge throughout the litigation process. In House Judiciary Committee.
Maryland SB 188 Establishes the Task Force to Study the Establishment of Health Courts to study the adequacy and cost of State laws and policies relating to the litigation of medical malpractice cases and make recommendations regarding the establishment of health courts to hear medical malpractice cases and the feasibility of assigning a medical malpractice case to a single judge throughout the litigation process. In Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee.
New Mexico HB 362 Creates new 14th Judicial District. In House Government Committee.
New York SB 3141 Creates veterans courts throughout state. In Senate Veterans Committee.
South Carolina SB 426 Creates mental health court program under control of prosecutors. Judges of courts to be chosen by chief justice. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Texas SB 443 Requests Texas Judicial Council study and make recommendations for merger of Supreme Court with Court of Criminal Appeals. In Senate State Affairs Committee.
Structure Changes: Floor and Committee Activity
Arizona HB 2310 Provides presiding judge of the superior court in each county may establish a mental health court to adjudicate cases filed in the superior court in the county. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/4/15.
Indiana SB 547 Provides that a problem solving court that is a veteran's court and the services of the court are available to veterans who are convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in another court in another county. Provides that the Indiana judicial center shall establish at least one problem solving court that is a veteran's court in each of the judicial districts. Requires the board of directors of the judicial conference of Indiana to adopt rules prescribing how courts and counties shall cooperate with one another concerning a veteran under the jurisdiction of a veteran's court in a different county. Requires the Indiana judicial center, in conjunction with the criminal justice institute and the Indiana department of veterans affairs, to seek funding for veteran's courts. Provides that a court may consider as a mitigating factor that a person convicted of a crime is a veteran who has certain conditions that favor suspending the sentence and imposing probation. Makes an appropriation to the Indiana judicial center for problem solving courts Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/5/15.
Mississippi SB 2756 Redistricts state’s Circuit and Chancery Courts Approved by Senate Judiciary A Committee 2/3/15.
Washington SB 5107 Encourages the establishment of therapeutic courts. Approved by full Senate 2/4/15.
Other: Newly Introduced
Georgia HB 207 Requires judges & jurors who are related to party within six degrees of consanguinity or affinity to recuse or be disqualified. In House Judiciary Committee.
Hawaii SCR 18 Requests judiciary create working group to examine enhanced sentencing. In Senate (no committee).
Kansas SB 128 Exempts information related to home addresses and similar information of municipal court judges. In Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee.
Missouri HB 749 Includes municipal, associate circuit, and circuit judges in the classification of officials exempt from unlawful use of a weapon provisions such as a prohibition on the carrying of concealed weapons if they pass a firearms safety course. In House Civil and Criminal Proceedings Committee.
New York SB 3141 Reclassifies court officers and court clerks of the unified court system as police officers and repeals provisions relating to their status as peace officers. In Senate Codes Committee.
Oklahoma SB 805 Provides judges, justices, or clerks who recognize same-sex marriage licenses are to be denied salaries. Provides judges and justices who recognize such licenses to be referred to judicial disciplinary body for removal from office. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Pennsylvania SB 410 Modifies definition of "dangerous weapon" for crime of possession of firearm or other dangerous weapon in court facility. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Tennessee HJR 54 Requests Tennessee Supreme Court adopt rule to provide free online public access to video of oral arguments. In House Civil Justice Committee.
Texas HB 1080 Expands existing statute restricting release of home addresses and similar information found on driver's licenses of judges to include associate judges and statutory probate judges may not be release. In House (no committee).
Other: Floor and Committee Activity
Indiana SB 90 Establishes an address confidentiality program for law enforcement officials and judges. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/5/15.
Kansas SB 12 Increases penalties for assaults on attorneys, judges and court services officers in the performance of their duties. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/5/15.
Montana HB 293 Requires posting of Bill of Rights in entrance of all courthouses. Tabled in House Local Government Committee 2/3/15.
Montana SB 15 Clarifies retired judges or justices may handle all phases of a case if called for service. Approved by full Senate 2/5/15.
Montana SB 89 Requires supreme court justices and district court judges to file financial reports. Approved by full Senate 2/4/15.
New Hampshire HB 172 Creates commission to study the operations of small claims court. Rejected by full House 2/14/15.
New Hampshire HB 246 Specifies failure to deliver a jury nullification instruction subjects judge to impeachment for maladministration. Rejected by House Judiciary Committee 2/5/15.
New Hampshire HB 247 Prohibits the assignment and acceptance of recommendations of unauthorized judicial referees. Provides judges who assign/accept subject to impeachment for maladministration. Rejected by House Judiciary Committee 2/5/15.
North Dakota HB 1307 Creates crime of filing false lien on judges and other officials. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/4/15. Approved by full House 2/6/15.
North Dakota SB 2161 Creates interdisciplinary committee on problem-solving courts. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/15/15.