Senate courts committee approves large slate of judicial certifications, limits two retired judges to settlement conferences

The Joint Senate Courts of Justice Committee on an unspecified date approved a series of block votes to certify retired, circuit, general district and juvenile and domestic relations judges for continued service, while limiting two retired judges to settlement-conference duties and withholding one nominee from the final block vote.

The committee approved certification for retired judges, circuit judges with recent or pending retirements, general district court judges with recent or pending retirements, and juvenile and domestic relations (JDR) judges in separate block motions. Committee leaders said the votes were conducted by voice and that no roll-call tallies were provided on the record.

Why it matters: these certifications determine which judges may continue to sit in retired status, and which nominees move forward for full appointment. The committee’s actions can affect court workloads, the availability of recall judges, and how courts schedule settlement conferences and trials.

Committee action and exceptions - Chair Scott Serval (identified in committee remarks) told members that two retired judges — Judge Louis Lerner and Judge Robert O'Hara — would be certified only to serve on judicial settlement conferences and “will not be authorized to sit and recall otherwise.” The committee recorded that exception before approving the larger retired-judges block.

- The committee then took a series of block votes, approving by voice vote: certification of circuit judges with recent or pending retirements; certification of general district court judges with recent or pending retirements; and certification of juvenile and domestic relations judges with recent or pending retirements. Committee members asked that any name be removed from a block if they wished separate consideration; after no further removals, each block motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.

- In final business, the committee moved to certify “all the candidates that we interviewed today” in a single block. Members directed that one candidate — Judge Jane Reynolds (fifteenth Judicial District) — be removed from that block because the local delegation had not reached consensus; the remainder of the interviewed candidates were approved in a single motion.

Context and follow-up - During the same meeting, staff advised committee members that potential changes to pension rules would not affect the start dates of judges the committee certifies; committee members were told any pension changes would apply regardless of a judge’s start date. The statement was made to remove pension timing as a factor in start-date planning.

- The committee conducted the votes by voice motions and recorded the outcomes on the record; no roll-call vote totals were supplied in the transcript of the meeting.

Votes at a glance - Certification — retired circuit judges (block): approved by voice vote; exception: Judge Louis Lerner and Judge Robert O'Hara certified only for settlement conferences, not for sit-and-recall duties. (Motion carried.) - Certification — circuit judges with recent or pending retirements (block): approved by voice vote. (Motion carried.) - Certification — general district court judges with recent or pending retirements (block): approved by voice vote. (Motion carried.) - Certification — juvenile and domestic relations district court judges with recent or pending retirements (block): approved by voice vote. (Motion carried.) - Certification — all candidates interviewed that day (single block) with one removal: approved by voice vote; Judge Jane Reynolds removed from the block for separate consideration. (Motion carried.)

Ending Committee leaders said any candidate removed from a block would be handled separately at a later date if delegations or members sought further review. The committee adjourned after the votes and the meeting record shows the House courts committee was scheduled to proceed after the senators left the room.