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Committee approves bill to shield home addresses of certain judicial candidates
Summary
Senate Bill 1720, as amended, would keep home addresses for certain judicial and prosecutorial candidates confidential from public disclosure while still collected for filing. Sponsor said the change protects privacy and safety; the committee approved the amendment and moved the bill to calendar.
Leader Hale said the amendment deletes section 2 and leaves the bill to do one practical thing: allow counties to collect home-address information for filing while keeping those addresses off public records for certain judicial offices. He told the committee the change was intended to protect individuals running for judge, chancellor, district attorney general and public defender from exposure via records requests and social media.
Senator Yarbrough asked how eligibility challenges (residency disputes) would be handled if addresses are not publicly available. Hale replied the filing process still collects the information for verification and that public-records exceptions would leave the challenge process intact. The committee unanimously approved the amended bill and it moves to the calendar.
