Bill Text: TX SJR35 | 2019-2020 | 86th Legislature | Introduced
Bill Title: Proposing a constitutional amendment increasing the amount of time a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2019-02-26 - Co-author authorized [SJR35 Detail]
Download: Texas-2019-SJR35-Introduced.html
86R1754 SRS-D | ||
By: Zaffirini | S.J.R. No. 35 |
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proposing a constitutional amendment increasing the amount of time | ||
a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible | ||
to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals | ||
judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge. | ||
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Section 2(b), Article V, Texas Constitution, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
(b) No person shall be eligible to serve in the office of | ||
Chief Justice or Justice of the Supreme Court unless the person is | ||
licensed to practice law in this state and is, at the time of | ||
election, a citizen of the United States and of this state, and has | ||
attained the age of thirty-five years, and has been a practicing | ||
lawyer, or a lawyer and judge of a court of record together at least | ||
12 [ |
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SECTION 2. Section 7, Article V, Texas Constitution, is | ||
amended to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 7. The State shall be divided into judicial districts, | ||
with each district having one or more Judges as may be provided by | ||
law or by this Constitution. Each district judge shall be elected | ||
by the qualified voters at a General Election and shall be a citizen | ||
of the United States and of this State, who is licensed to practice | ||
law in this State and has been a practicing lawyer or a Judge of a | ||
Court in this State, or both combined, for eight [ |
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next preceding the judge's [ |
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district in which the judge [ |
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next preceding the judge's [ |
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the [ |
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[ |
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receive for the judge's [ |
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by the Legislature. The Court shall conduct its proceedings at the | ||
county seat of the county in which the case is pending, except as | ||
otherwise provided by law. The judge [ |
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terms of [ |
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district in such manner as may be prescribed by law. The | ||
Legislature shall have power by General or Special Laws to make such | ||
provisions concerning the terms or sessions of each Court as it may | ||
deem necessary. | ||
The Legislature shall also provide for the holding of | ||
District Court when the Judge thereof is absent, or is from any | ||
cause disabled or disqualified from presiding. | ||
SECTION 3. The following temporary provision is added to | ||
the Texas Constitution: | ||
TEMPORARY PROVISION. (a) This temporary provision applies | ||
to the constitutional amendment proposed by the 86th Legislature, | ||
Regular Session, 2019, increasing the amount of time a person must | ||
have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible to serve as a | ||
supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals judge, court of | ||
appeals justice, or district court judge. The constitutional | ||
amendment takes effect January 1, 2020, and applies only to a person | ||
elected on or after that date. | ||
(b) This temporary provision expires January 1, 2027. | ||
SECTION 4. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be | ||
submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 5, 2019. | ||
The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the | ||
proposition: "The constitutional amendment increasing the amount | ||
of time a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be | ||
eligible to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal | ||
appeals judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge." |