House of Representatives

HB 2482

superior court; additional judges

Sponsors: Representatives Pearce, Brimhall,

Anderson: Flake, et al

 

DPA

Committee on Retirement and Government Operations

DPA

Caucus and COW

F

Third Read

 

 

As Passed the House

 

 

HB 2482 authorizes that Superior Court judges include court commissioners when determining a need for additional Superior Court judges. 

 

Current Status

HB 2482 was amended in the Retirement and Government Operations Committee to not include court commissioners as Superior Court judges when determining a need for additional Superior Court judges.  The Retirement and Government Operations Committee amendment was adopted in the Committee of the Whole.  HB 2482 failed in the Third Read.

 

History

Currently, each county in the State of Arizona shall have a Superior Court judge elected.  Additional judges may be elected from that county if according to the census the population is greater than thirty thousand inhabitants and a petition by the county board of supervisors is approved by the governor.  The determinants for population include recent estimates of population within the county issued by the census bureau, auto registrations, nonagricultural employment, gross utility revenues and retail sales.

 

Provisions

·          Authorizes that Superior Court judges include court commissioners when determining a need for additional Superior Court judges.

 

·          Eliminates the statutory determination of required number of county inhabitants for additional Superior Court judges.

 

·          References article VI, section 10, of the Arizona Constitution, which caps the required number of county inhabitants for additional Superior Court judges at 30,000 or majority fraction and specifies the determination of county inhabitants must be by census enumeration.

 

·          Caps the number of additional judges not to exceed one judge for each thirty thousand inhabitants or majority fraction.

 

·          Repeals the determinants of the number of additional judges, which were recent estimates of the population of any area within the county issued by the census bureau, auto registrations, nonagricultural employment, gross utility revenues and retail sales.

 

·          Makes technical and conforming changes.

 

Amendments

HB 2482 was amended in the Retirement and Government Operations Committee as follows:

·          Court commissioners are not included as Superior Court judges when determining a need for additional Superior Court judges.

 

 

 

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45th Legislature                       

Second Regular Session            2          March 28, 2002

 

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