By: Carriker S.B. No. 527
73R5247 RJA-D
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
1-1 AN ACT
1-2 relating to the election of justices of the supreme court and
1-3 judges of the court of criminal appeals from single-member
1-4 districts.
1-5 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
1-6 SECTION 1. Subchapter A, Chapter 22, Government Code, is
1-7 amended by adding Section 22.013 to read as follows:
1-8 Sec. 22.013. ELECTION OF JUSTICES. (a) The supreme court
1-9 is composed of nine justices. The justices, by majority vote,
1-10 shall select one justice to serve as chief justice.
1-11 (b) The justices are elected for six-year terms of office
1-12 and hold places numbered 1 through 9. The justice for each place
1-13 is elected from the area constituting that place. The places are
1-14 constituted as follows:
1-15 (1) Place 1 is composed of ____________________;
1-16 (2) Place 2 is composed of ____________________;
1-17 (3) Place 3 is composed of ____________________;
1-18 (4) Place 4 is composed of ____________________;
1-19 (5) Place 5 is composed of ____________________;
1-20 (6) Place 6 is composed of ____________________;
1-21 (7) Place 7 is composed of ____________________;
1-22 (8) Place 8 is composed of ____________________; and
1-23 (9) Place 9 is composed of ____________________.
1-24 (c) The designation of offices and places under this section
2-1 identifies the offices and places for all purposes, including
2-2 identification on official ballots for primary and general
2-3 elections.
2-4 SECTION 2. Subchapter B, Chapter 22, Government Code, is
2-5 amended by adding Section 22.110 to read as follows:
2-6 Sec. 22.110. ELECTION OF JUDGES. (a) The court of criminal
2-7 appeals is composed of nine judges. The judges, by majority vote,
2-8 shall select one judge to serve as presiding judge.
2-9 (b) The judges are elected for six-year terms of office and
2-10 hold places numbered 1 through 9. The judge for each place is
2-11 elected from the area constituting that place. The places are
2-12 constituted as follows:
2-13 (1) Place 1 is composed of ________________;
2-14 (2) Place 2 is composed of ________________;
2-15 (3) Place 3 is composed of ________________;
2-16 (4) Place 4 is composed of ________________;
2-17 (5) Place 5 is composed of ________________;
2-18 (6) Place 6 is composed of ________________;
2-19 (7) Place 7 is composed of ________________;
2-20 (8) Place 8 is composed of ________________; and
2-21 (9) Place 9 is composed of ________________.
2-22 (c) The designation of offices and places under this section
2-23 identifies the offices and places for all purposes, including
2-24 identification on official ballots for primary and general
2-25 elections.
2-26 SECTION 3. Sections 52.092(c), (d), and (h), Election Code,
2-27 are amended to read as follows:
3-1 (c) Statewide offices of the state government shall be
3-2 listed in the following order:
3-3 (1) governor;
3-4 (2) lieutenant governor;
3-5 (3) attorney general;
3-6 (4) comptroller of public accounts;
3-7 (5) state treasurer;
3-8 (6) commissioner of the General Land Office;
3-9 (7) commissioner of agriculture;
3-10 (8) railroad commissioner<;>
3-11 <(9) chief justice, supreme court;>
3-12 <(10) justice, supreme court;>
3-13 <(11) presiding judge, court of criminal appeals;>
3-14 <(12) judge, court of criminal appeals>.
3-15 (d) District offices of the state government shall be listed
3-16 in the following order:
3-17 (1) justice, supreme court;
3-18 (2) judge, court of criminal appeals;
3-19 (3) <(1)> member, State Board of Education;
3-20 (4) <(2)> state senator;
3-21 (5) <(3)> state representative;
3-22 (6) <(4)> chief justice, court of appeals;
3-23 (7) <(5)> justice, court of appeals;
3-24 (8) <(6)> district judge;
3-25 (9) <(7)> criminal district judge;
3-26 (10) <(8)> family district judge;
3-27 (11) <(9)> district attorney;
4-1 (12) <(10)> criminal district attorney.
4-2 (h) The secretary of state shall assign a place number to
4-3 each position to be filled at the general election for state and
4-4 county officers for each full or unexpired term in the office of
4-5 <following offices:>
4-6 <(1) justice, supreme court;>
4-7 <(2) judge, court of criminal appeals; and>
4-8 <(3)> justice, court of appeals in a court having a
4-9 membership in excess of three, if distinguishing the positions to
4-10 be filled is necessary.
4-11 SECTION 4. Section 172.024(a), Election Code, is amended to
4-12 read as follows:
4-13 (a) The filing fee for a candidate for nomination in the
4-14 general primary election is as follows:
4-15 (1) United States senator ..................... $4,000
4-16 (2) office elected statewide, except United States
4-17 senator .................................. 3,000
4-18 (3) United States representative ............... 2,500
4-19 (4) state senator .............................. 1,000
4-20 (5) state representative ......................... 600
4-21 (6) member, State Board of Education ............. 250
4-22 (7) justice, supreme court; judge, court of criminal
4-23 appeals; or chief justice or justice, court of
4-24 appeals, other than a justice specified by
4-25 Subdivision (8) .......................... 1,500
4-26 (8) chief justice or justice of a court of appeals
4-27 that serves a court of appeals district in which
5-1 a county with a population of more than 850,000
5-2 is wholly or partly situated ............. 2,000
5-3 (9) district judge or judge specified by Section
5-4 52.092(d) for which this schedule does not
5-5 otherwise prescribe a fee ................ 1,200
5-6 (10) district or criminal district judge of a
5-7 court in a judicial district wholly contained
5-8 in a county with a population of more
5-9 than 850,000 ............................ 2,000
5-10 (11) judge, statutory county court, other than a judge
5-11 specified by Subdivision (12) ........... 1,200
5-12 (12) judge of a statutory county court in a county
5-13 with a population of more than 850,000 .. 2,000
5-14 (13) district attorney, criminal district attorney, or
5-15 county attorney performing the duties of a
5-16 district attorney ....................... 1,000
5-17 (14) county commissioner or judge, constitutional
5-18 county court:
5-19 (A) county with a population of 200,000 or
5-20 more ............................... 1,000
5-21 (B) county with a population of under
5-22 200,000 .............................. 600
5-23 (15) justice of the peace or constable:
5-24 (A) county with a population of 200,000 or
5-25 more ................................. 800
5-26 (B) county with a population of under
5-27 200,000 .............................. 300
6-1 (16) county surveyor, inspector of hides and animals,
6-2 or public weigher .......................... 50
6-3 (17) office of the county government for which this
6-4 schedule does not otherwise prescribe a
6-5 fee ....................................... 600
6-6 SECTION 5. (a) This Act takes effect January 1, 1995, but
6-7 only if the constitutional amendment proposed by the 73rd
6-8 Legislature, Regular Session, 1993, providing for the election of
6-9 justices to the supreme court and judges to the court of criminal
6-10 appeals from single-member districts is approved by the voters.
6-11 (b) This Act applies only to primary and general elections
6-12 held on or after January 1, 1995.
6-13 SECTION 6. The importance of this legislation and the
6-14 crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
6-15 emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
6-16 constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
6-17 days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.