Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SJR35 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R1754 SRS-D
2	2	By: Zaffirini S.J.R. No. 35
3	3
4	4
5	5	A JOINT RESOLUTION
6	6	proposing a constitutional amendment increasing the amount of time
7	7	a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible
8	8	to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals
9	9	judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge.
10	10	BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
11	11	SECTION 1. Section 2(b), Article V, Texas Constitution, is
12	12	amended to read as follows:
13	13	(b) No person shall be eligible to serve in the office of
14	14	Chief Justice or Justice of the Supreme Court unless the person is
15	15	licensed to practice law in this state and is, at the time of
16	16	election, a citizen of the United States and of this state, and has
17	17	attained the age of thirty-five years, and has been a practicing
18	18	lawyer, or a lawyer and judge of a court of record together at least
19	19	12 [ten] years.
20	20	SECTION 2. Section 7, Article V, Texas Constitution, is
21	21	amended to read as follows:
22	22	Sec. 7. The State shall be divided into judicial districts,
23	23	with each district having one or more Judges as may be provided by
24	24	law or by this Constitution. Each district judge shall be elected
25	25	by the qualified voters at a General Election and shall be a citizen
26	26	of the United States and of this State, who is licensed to practice
27	27	law in this State and has been a practicing lawyer or a Judge of a
28	28	Court in this State, or both combined, for eight [four (4)] years
29	29	next preceding the judge's [his] election, who has resided in the
30	30	district in which the judge [he] was elected for two [(2)] years
31	31	next preceding the judge's [his] election, and who shall reside in
32	32	the [his] district during the judge's [his] term of office and hold
33	33	[his] office for the period of four [(4)] years, and who shall
34	34	receive for the judge's [his] services an annual salary to be fixed
35	35	by the Legislature. The Court shall conduct its proceedings at the
36	36	county seat of the county in which the case is pending, except as
37	37	otherwise provided by law. The judge [He] shall hold the regular
38	38	terms of [his] Court at the County Seat of each County in the [his]
39	39	district in such manner as may be prescribed by law. The
40	40	Legislature shall have power by General or Special Laws to make such
41	41	provisions concerning the terms or sessions of each Court as it may
42	42	deem necessary.
43	43	The Legislature shall also provide for the holding of
44	44	District Court when the Judge thereof is absent, or is from any
45	45	cause disabled or disqualified from presiding.
46	46	SECTION 3. The following temporary provision is added to
47	47	the Texas Constitution:
48	48	TEMPORARY PROVISION. (a) This temporary provision applies
49	49	to the constitutional amendment proposed by the 86th Legislature,
50	50	Regular Session, 2019, increasing the amount of time a person must
51	51	have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible to serve as a
52	52	supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals judge, court of
53	53	appeals justice, or district court judge. The constitutional
54	54	amendment takes effect January 1, 2020, and applies only to a person
55	55	elected on or after that date.
56	56	(b) This temporary provision expires January 1, 2027.
57	57	SECTION 4. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be
58	58	submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 5, 2019.
59	59	The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the
60	60	proposition: "The constitutional amendment increasing the amount
61	61	of time a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be
62	62	eligible to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal
63	63	appeals judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge."