A review of state legislation affecting the courts
March 10, 2023 -- Since 2006, Gavel to Gavel has tracked state-by-state legislative activity with potential impact on state courts.
Notable legislation includes:
- New Mexico has a plan to tie state judicial salaries to the salary of federal magistrate judges advances.
- Texas Senate approves bill creating a criminal offense for the unauthorized disclosure of non-public judicial opinions and judicial work product; North Dakota's legislature had rejected a similar bill introduced earlier this year.
- Hawaii Senate approves constitutional amendment to increase the mandatory judicial retirement age from 70 to 75.
- Oklahoma Senate approves plan to change training and other qualifications for municipal court judges; allows those judges to continue to practice law in some circumstances.
- Mississippi Senate rejects plan to create court system specifically for Capitol area; judges of the Capitol Complex Improvement District court would have been appointed by Chief Justice and not elected.
- Texas House committee holds hearing on a constitutional amendment to ban per curiam decisions, requiring the votes of all judges on all cases be disclosed.