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Senate committee advances bill to add fourth superior court judge in Douglas County
Summary
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to advance Senate Bill 88, which would add a fourth superior court judgeship to the Douglas County Judicial Circuit; lawmakers adopted date changes to align funding with the governor's recommended budget.
Senate Bill 88, a proposal to add a fourth superior court judge to the Douglas County Judicial Circuit, was advanced by the Senate Judiciary Committee on a unanimous voice vote after lawmakers amended the bill to change several effective dates.
The bill, presented by Senator Bearden and requested by the chief judge of Douglas County, would create an additional superior court seat for the Douglas County Judicial Circuit. Funding for the judgeship was included in the governor's recommended budget on “page 74 line 7” for fiscal year 2026, according to the bill presentation.
Senator Bearden introduced the measure, saying, “This bill is just to add the fourth superior court judge to Douglas County Judicial Circuit.” Chief Judge Cynthia Adams, who requested the position, attended the hearing and told the committee that Douglas County’s workload ranking moved from number three last year to number two this year.
Committee members discussed the bill’s effective dates and agreed to an amendment to shift the original July 1, 2025, date to Jan. 1, 2026, and to correspondingly shift subsequent statutory dates in the bill. Chairman Tillery suggested the date changes to avoid the timing problems that delayed similar measures in the previous session; the author confirmed the amended dates matched his intent. The committee offered the amendment on the record and adopted it by voice vote.
Committee member Dr. Watts Watson moved that the bill “do pass” as amended; the motion was seconded by Senator Kausert and carried on a unanimous voice vote. The transcript records no roll-call tally; the committee chair announced the motion carried.
Members also asked about locality pay for Douglas County judges. Judge Adams said Douglas County provides locality pay and estimated it was “right at about 42 or so,” phrasing the number as an approximate amount. The transcript does not specify units (dollars, percentage or other) for that figure.
The committee’s action was limited to advancing the bill as amended; no additional timeline for floor consideration or enrolment was stated in the hearing.
