By: Danburg H.B. No. 1566 73R3543 MWV-D A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1-1 AN ACT 1-2 relating to the disqualification of judges and justices of the 1-3 peace. 1-4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: 1-5 SECTION 1. Section 21.005, Government Code, is amended to 1-6 read as follows: 1-7 Sec. 21.005. Disqualification. (a) A judge or a justice of 1-8 the peace may not sit in a case if either of the parties is related 1-9 to him by affinity or consanguinity within the third degree, as 1-10 determined under Article 5996h, Revised Statutes. 1-11 (b) A judge or a justice of the peace may not sit in a case 1-12 if the conduct of the judge or justice during or before the 1-13 proceeding would cause a reasonable person to believe that the 1-14 judge or justice held any animosity toward any party to the case. 1-15 For purposes of this subsection, a party includes the defendant and 1-16 a victim in a criminal case and any litigant in a civil case. 1-17 SECTION 2. This Act takes effect September 1, 1993, and 1-18 applies only to cases filed on or after that date. A case filed 1-19 before September 1, 1993, is governed by the law as it existed when 1-20 the case was filed, and that law is continued in effect for that 1-21 purpose. 1-22 SECTION 3. The importance of this legislation and the 1-23 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an 1-24 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the 2-1 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several 2-2 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.