Bill Text: TX HB2865 | 2023-2024 | 88th Legislature | Comm Sub
Bill Title: Relating to the assignment of certain retired and former justices and judges.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-1)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2023-05-24 - Removed from local & uncontested calendar [HB2865 Detail]
Download: Texas-2023-HB2865-Comm_Sub.html
By: Raymond (Senate Sponsor - Zaffirini) | H.B. No. 2865 | |
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 3, 2023; | ||
March 14, 2023, read first time and referred to Committee on | ||
Jurisprudence; May 21, 2023, reported adversely, with favorable | ||
Committee Substitute by the following vote: Yeas 5, Nays 0; | ||
May 21, 2023, sent to printer.) | ||
COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR H.B. No. 2865 | By: Hughes |
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relating to the assignment of certain retired and former justices | ||
and judges. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 74.003(b), Government Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(b) The chief justice of the supreme court may assign a | ||
qualified former or retired justice or judge of the supreme court, | ||
of the court of criminal appeals, or of a court of appeals to a court | ||
of appeals for active service regardless of whether a vacancy | ||
exists in the court to which the justice or judge is assigned. To be | ||
eligible for assignment under this subsection, a former or retired | ||
justice or judge must: | ||
(1) have served as an active justice or judge for at | ||
least 72 [ |
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county, or appellate court, with at least 48 of those months in an | ||
appellate court; | ||
(2) not have been removed from office; | ||
(3) certify under oath to the chief justice of the | ||
supreme court, on a form prescribed by the chief justice, that: | ||
(A) the justice or judge has never been publicly | ||
reprimanded or censured by the State Commission on Judicial | ||
Conduct; and | ||
(B) the justice or judge: | ||
(i) did not resign or retire from office | ||
after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct notified the justice | ||
or judge of the commencement of a full investigation into an | ||
allegation or appearance of misconduct or disability of the justice | ||
or judge as provided in Section 33.022 and before the final | ||
disposition of that investigation; or | ||
(ii) if the justice or judge did resign from | ||
office under circumstances described by Subparagraph (i), the | ||
justice or judge was not publicly reprimanded or censured as a | ||
result of the investigation; | ||
(4) annually demonstrate that the justice or judge has | ||
completed in the past state fiscal year the educational | ||
requirements for active appellate court justices or judges; [ |
||
(5) certify to the chief justice of the supreme court a | ||
willingness not to appear and plead as an attorney in any district, | ||
statutory county, or statutory probate court in the county in which | ||
the judge is assigned [ |
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(6) certify to the chief justice a willingness not to | ||
hear any matter involving a party who is a current or former client | ||
of the justice or judge for the duration of the assignment. | ||
SECTION 2. Section 74.041(6), Government Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(6) "Retired judge" means: | ||
(A) a retiree; or | ||
(B) a person who served as an active judge for at | ||
least 72 [ |
||
court and has retired under the Texas County and District | ||
Retirement System. | ||
SECTION 3. Section 74.055(c), Government Code, is amended | ||
to read as follows: | ||
(c) To be eligible to be named on the list, a retired or | ||
former judge must: | ||
(1) have served as an active judge for at least 72 [ |
||
months in a district, statutory probate, statutory county, or | ||
appellate court; | ||
(2) have developed substantial experience in the | ||
judge's area of specialty; | ||
(3) not have been removed from office; | ||
(4) certify under oath to the presiding judge, on a | ||
form prescribed by the state board of regional judges, that: | ||
(A) the judge has never been publicly reprimanded | ||
or censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct; and | ||
(B) the judge: | ||
(i) did not resign or retire from office | ||
after the State Commission on Judicial Conduct notified the judge | ||
of the commencement of a full investigation into an allegation or | ||
appearance of misconduct or disability of the judge as provided in | ||
Section 33.022 and before the final disposition of that | ||
investigation; or | ||
(ii) if the judge did resign from office | ||
under circumstances described by Subparagraph (i), was not publicly | ||
reprimanded or censured as a result of the investigation; | ||
(5) annually demonstrate that the judge has completed | ||
in the past state fiscal year the educational requirements for | ||
active district, statutory probate, and statutory county court | ||
judges; [ |
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(6) certify to the presiding judge a willingness not | ||
to appear and plead as an attorney in any district, statutory | ||
county, or statutory probate court in the county in which the judge | ||
is assigned [ |
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(7) certify to the presiding judge a willingness not | ||
to hear any matter involving a party who is a current or former | ||
client of the judge for the duration of the assignment. | ||
SECTION 4. Sections 74.003(b), 74.041(6), and 74.055(c), | ||
Government Code, as amended by this Act, apply only to the | ||
assignment of a justice or judge on or after the effective date of | ||
this Act. The assignment of a justice or judge before the effective | ||
date of this Act is governed by the law in effect on the date of the | ||
assignment, and the former law is continued in effect for that | ||
purpose. | ||
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2023. | ||
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