| 1 | 1 | | 86R7513 TSS-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Watson S.B. No. 1069 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED |
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| 6 | 6 | | AN ACT |
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| 7 | 7 | | relating to additional qualifications of justices and judges of |
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| 8 | 8 | | certain courts. |
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| 9 | 9 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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| 10 | 10 | | SECTION 1. Chapter 21, Government Code, is amended by |
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| 11 | 11 | | adding Section 21.0045 to read as follows: |
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| 12 | 12 | | Sec. 21.0045. ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS OF JUSTICE OR |
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| 13 | 13 | | JUDGE. (a) A person is not eligible to be a candidate for or to |
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| 14 | 14 | | serve as a justice of the supreme court or a court of appeals or a |
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| 15 | 15 | | judge of the court of criminal appeals, a district court, a |
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| 16 | 16 | | statutory county court, or a statutory probate court unless the |
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| 17 | 17 | | person has: |
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| 18 | 18 | | (1) served for not less than one year as a justice or |
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| 19 | 19 | | judge of a court listed in this subsection; or |
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| 20 | 20 | | (2) practiced for not less than one year in a court of |
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| 21 | 21 | | equivalent or greater jurisdiction than the court in which the |
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| 22 | 22 | | person will serve. |
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| 23 | 23 | | (b) The requirements of this section are in addition to |
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| 24 | 24 | | qualifications required by Article V, Texas Constitution, and other |
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| 25 | 25 | | law. |
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| 26 | 26 | | SECTION 2. Section 21.0045, Government Code, as added by |
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| 27 | 27 | | this Act, applies only to a judge or justice who is elected or |
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| 28 | 28 | | appointed on or after the effective date of this Act. A judge or |
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| 29 | 29 | | justice elected or appointed before the effective date of this Act |
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| 30 | 30 | | continues to serve for the term to which the judge or justice was |
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| 31 | 31 | | elected or appointed unless otherwise removed as provided by law. |
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| 32 | 32 | | SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019. |
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