Jurisdiction: Newly Introduced
Florida HB 7061 Increases County Court jurisdiction from $15,000 to $50,000. Provides Supreme Court may adjust every 5 years based on Consumer Price Index. In House Judiciary Committee.
Wyoming SJR 4 Provides legislature alone is to decide K-12 funding levels and to "rationally determine" what those levels are. Provides judiciary may declare a system of public school funding in violation of the constitution, but cannot order the legislature to take any action to generate revenue, through taxation or otherwise in order to fulfill its duties to fully fund the public school system. In Senate Education Committee.
Jurisdiction: Floor and Committee Activity
Idaho HB 419 Bans court use of foreign/international law. Approved by full House 2/20/18.
Idaho HB 461 Prohibits state courts from enforcing federal court decisions deemed by legislature to be unconstitutional. Rejected by full House 2/19/18.
Iowa SF 2357 Increases small claims jurisdiction from $5,000 to $7,500. Approved by Senate Judiciary Committee 2/19/18.
Qualifications and Terms: Newly Introduced
Wisconsin SB 829 Provides that a judge of any court of record in this state, including a justice of the state supreme court, may not hold an office of public trust, other than a judicial office, while serving in the judicial office to which the judge was appointed or elected. In Senate Elections Committee.
Qualifications and Terms: Floor and Committee Activity
Arizona HCR 2036 (Constitutional Amendment) Removes minimum age requirements for judgeships and other elected officials. Rejected by House Rules Committee 2/20/18.
Rule Making Authority: Newly Introduced
California SB 1208 Allows expands instances where chief justice, as chair of judicial council, may shut down or move courts due to disaster/emergency. Provides civil time limits to be extended but only to fewest days necessary. Provides emergency declaration made by President or Governor sufficient to exercise power. In Senate Rules Committee. Minnesota HF 2809 Requires Supreme Court adopt and maintain an emergency operations and continuity of government plan to ensure the secure, continued operation of the judicial branch in the event of a disaster, emergency, or declared emergency. In House Government Operations Committee.
Rule Making Authority: Floor and Committee Activity
NONE
Salary and Budget: Newly Introduced
Louisiana SB 61 Provides for salaries for judges as recommended by the Judicial Compensation Commission. Prefiled.
Salary and Budget: Floor and Committee Activity
Arizona HB 2327 Provides by January 8 of each year, the supreme court shall report to the governor and the legislature the amount of fees that were collected by every court in this state for the previous year. The report shall include the revenue and collection rates for each court. Approved by full House 2/21/18.
Maryland HJR 3 Sets judicial salaries. Approved with amendments 2/19/18.
Selection: Newly Introduced
Illinois HJRCA 42 (Constitutional Amendment) Removes language providing that Supreme, Appellate and Circuit Judges shall be nominated at primary elections or by petition. Provides that the name of each person seeking election to the office of Judge at a general election shall be submitted to the electors without party designation. In House Rules Committee.
Minnesota HF 2861 Removes requirement that the term "incumbent" be printed next judge's name on the ballot. In House Government Committee.
Rhode Island HB 7648 Requires that when a judge of color on a state or municipal court leaves the bench, they would be replaced by a person of color. In House Judiciary Committee.
Rhode Island HB 7649 Requires that the judicial selection commission actively and aggressively solicit members of color to apply for judicial appointments, including practicing members of the Rhode Island Bar residing in border states. In House Judiciary Committee.
Selection: Floor and Committee Activity
NONE
Structure Changes: Newly Introduced
Kentucky SB 10 Redistricts state's judicial districts. Authorizes the Supreme Court to require the Administrative Office of the Courts to perform an analysis to determine the need to rearrange the judicial circuits and districts or reallocate the number of judges relative to population and caseload. Requires the analysis to be completed within two years of December 31 of the year of the decennial census. In Senate (no committee).
Structure Changes: Floor and Committee Activity
Arizona HB 2234 Requires all counties create veterans courts. Approved by House Rules Committee 2/27/18.
Other: Newly Introduced
Connecticut SB 215 Omnibus Court Operations bill. Facilitates publication of Supreme and Appellate Court decisions in an electronic format, In Joint Judiciary Committee.
Florida HB 7089 Public Safety omnibus bill. Provides sheriffs explicitly required to "provide security for trial court facilities." Requires sheriffs would be required to coordinate with the chief judge of the judicial circuit in which their county is located on all security matters for such facilities. Provides chief judge of the judicial circuit shall have decisionmaking authority to ensure the protection of due process rights, including, but not limited to, the scheduling and conduct of trials and other judicial proceedings, as part of his or her responsibility for the administrative supervision of the trial courts. In House Appropriations Committee. Georgia HR 1260 Creates House Study Committee on Juvenile Court Judges. In House Juvenile Justice Committee.
Louisiana SB 44 Provides that certain provisions of the Code of Governmental Ethics are applicable to judges. Prefiled.
Rhode Island SB 2417 Amends several provisions relative to how the commission on judicial tenure and discipline provide discipline, hearings and discovery. In Senate Judiciary Committee.
Utah HB 451 Provides that a court commissioner is exempt from certain firearm laws if the commissioner completes the required training. In House Rules Committee.
Other: Floor and Committee Activity
Colorado HB 1210 Designates an administrator of judicial security in the Colorado judicial department as a peace officer who must be certified by the peace officer standards and training board. Approved by full House 2/21/18.
Indiana SB 238 Changes all references to the division of state court administration and the judicial center to the office of judicial administration. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/20/18.
Oregon HB 4097 ORIGINAL: Allows presiding judge of district to create court facilitation program to help in proceeds other than family law. AMENDED: Limited to Multnomah County. Approved by full House 2/21/18.
Utah SB 106 Requires removal of personal identifying information from court's online system if criminal case dismissed. Approved by House Judiciary Committee 2/21/18.
Virginia HB 780 Provides that a clerk of court or the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court shall make nonconfidential court records or reports of aggregated, nonconfidential case data available to the public upon request. The bill specifies that such records or reports shall be provided no later than 30 days after the request. The bill further provides that the clerk may charge a fee for responding to such request that shall not exceed the actual cost incurred in accessing, duplicating, reviewing, supplying, or searching for the requested records. Finally, the bill requires the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court to make available to the public an online case information system of nonconfidential information for criminal cases by July 1, 2019. Approved by full Senate 2/19/18.
Virginia SB 524 Makes applicable to juvenile and domestic relations district courts current provisions related to electronic case papers and transmission of such papers between the general district courts and the circuit courts by relocating such provisions from a statute specifically addressing general district courts to a statute applicable to all district courts. Approved by full Senate 2/22/18.