| |
| |
|
|
A JOINT RESOLUTION
|
|
|
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 district court judge. |
|
|
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. 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 10 [four (4)] years next |
|
|
preceding the judge's [his] election, who has resided in the |
|
|
district in which the judge [he] was elected for two [(2)] years |
|
|
next preceding the judge's [his] election, and who shall reside in |
|
|
the [his] district during the judge's [his] term of office and hold |
|
|
[his] office for the period of four [(4)] years, and who shall |
|
|
receive for the judge's [his] services an annual salary to be fixed |
|
|
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 [He] shall hold the regular |
|
|
terms of [his] Court at the County Seat of each County in the [his] |
|
|
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 2. 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 |
|
|
district court judge. The constitutional amendment takes effect |
|
|
January 1, 2020, and applies only to a person elected on or after |
|
|
that date to serve as a judge. |
|
|
(b) This temporary provision expires January 1, 2027. |
|
|
SECTION 3. 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 district court judge." |