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Sponsor seeks to require constitutional challenges to be heard in sponsor'district; opponents warn of access and impartiality problems
Summary
Senate Bill 97 would require many constitutional challenges to be filed in the judicial district of the bill's primary sponsor; supporters said it prevents judge-shopping, while opponents warned it reduces access and risks local political influence in constitutional review.
Senate Bill 97, introduced by Senator John Fuller, would establish venue rules for lawsuits that challenge the constitutionality of recently enacted laws, directing those challenges to the judicial district of the bill's primary sponsor in many cases.
Sponsor rationale
Fuller said the bill responds to what he called "judge shopping" and argued that a sponsor's home district has a direct interest in a law they proposed and should host initial constitutional challenges. He told the committee the bill seeks to place venue for early constitutional review in the district where the sponsoring…
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