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Committee advances proposal to expand pool of city and town court judges
Summary
A constitutional resolution to let nonresidents serve as city or town court judges advanced after sponsors argued demographic change and attorney shortages make residency requirements problematic.
A joint resolution to amend the state constitution so that city and town court judges need not reside in the jurisdiction advanced in the Judiciary committee.
Representative Bales (presenting the resolution) said changing demographics and a shortage of qualified attorneys in some jurisdictions make it difficult to find candidates who both live in a small town and are willing to serve as judge. He described a local example in which an appointed town judge had to rent an apartment in the jurisdiction to meet residency requirements.
Committee members asked whether city and town courts are required by the constitution, and Bales explained they are not required; circuit courts are the constitutionally required courts. Senator Taylor questioned whether any other offices allow running for election without residency, and members discussed the balance between local control and the practical difficulty of finding qualified candidates.
The committee moved the resolution forward. Roll call recorded statements from several senators, including a recorded "No" from Senator Taylor and an explanation of Chair Brown's vote. The committee advanced the resolution to the next legislative step with recorded votes.
