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A JOINT RESOLUTION
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proposing a constitutional amendment increasing the amount of time |
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a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible |
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to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals |
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judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge. |
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BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Section 2(b), Article V, Texas Constitution, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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(b) No person shall be eligible to serve in the office of |
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Chief Justice or Justice of the Supreme Court unless the person is |
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licensed to practice law in this state and is, at the time of |
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election, a citizen of the United States and of this state, and has |
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attained the age of thirty-five years, and has been a practicing |
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lawyer, or a lawyer and judge of a court of record together at least |
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12 [ten] years. |
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SECTION 2. Section 7, Article V, Texas Constitution, is |
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amended to read as follows: |
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Sec. 7. The State shall be divided into judicial districts, |
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with each district having one or more Judges as may be provided by |
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law or by this Constitution. Each district judge shall be elected |
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by the qualified voters at a General Election and shall be a citizen |
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of the United States and of this State, who is licensed to practice |
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law in this State and has been a practicing lawyer or a Judge of a |
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Court in this State, or both combined, for eight [four (4)] years |
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next preceding the judge's [his] election, who has resided in the |
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district in which the judge [he] was elected for two [(2)] years |
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next preceding the judge's [his] election, and who shall reside in |
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the [his] district during the judge's [his] term of office and hold |
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[his] office for the period of four [(4)] years, and who shall |
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receive for the judge's [his] services an annual salary to be fixed |
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by the Legislature. The Court shall conduct its proceedings at the |
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county seat of the county in which the case is pending, except as |
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otherwise provided by law. The judge [He] shall hold the regular |
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terms of [his] Court at the County Seat of each County in the [his] |
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district in such manner as may be prescribed by law. The |
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Legislature shall have power by General or Special Laws to make such |
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provisions concerning the terms or sessions of each Court as it may |
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deem necessary. |
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The Legislature shall also provide for the holding of |
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District Court when the Judge thereof is absent, or is from any |
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cause disabled or disqualified from presiding. |
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SECTION 3. The following temporary provision is added to |
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the Texas Constitution: |
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TEMPORARY PROVISION. (a) This temporary provision applies |
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to the constitutional amendment proposed by the 86th Legislature, |
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Regular Session, 2019, increasing the amount of time a person must |
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have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be eligible to serve as a |
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supreme court justice, court of criminal appeals judge, court of |
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appeals justice, or district court judge. The constitutional |
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amendment takes effect January 1, 2020, and applies only to a person |
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elected on or after that date. |
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(b) This temporary provision expires January 1, 2027. |
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SECTION 4. This proposed constitutional amendment shall be |
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submitted to the voters at an election to be held November 5, 2019. |
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The ballot shall be printed to permit voting for or against the |
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proposition: "The constitutional amendment increasing the amount |
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of time a person must have been a practicing lawyer or judge to be |
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eligible to serve as a supreme court justice, court of criminal |
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appeals judge, court of appeals justice, or district court judge." |