NONE

Committee Activity of Note

January 30

Alaska Senate Judiciary

SB 168 Alters geographic cost-of-living salary adjustments for justices of the supreme court and judges of the superior and district courts.

Arizona Senate Committee on Judiciary

SB 1152 Authorizes but does not require creation of homeless courts as divisions of existing courts.

SB 1310 Increases small claims jurisdiction from $2,500 to $10,000.

SB 1311 Increases justice of the peace civil jurisdiction from $10,000 to $25,000.

SCR 1032 (Constitutional Amendment) Increases justice of the peace civil jurisdiction from $10,000 to $25,000.

Kansas Senate Judiciary

HB 2087 Defines “foreign law,” “legal code” or “system” means any law, legal code or system of a jurisdiction outside of any state or territory of the United States, including, but not limited to, international organizations and tribunals and applied by that jurisdiction”€™s courts, administrative bodies or other formal or informal tribunals. Provides “Any court, arbitration, tribunal or administrative agency ruling or decision shall violate the public policy of this state and be void and unenforceable if the court, arbitration, tribunal or administrative agency bases its rulings or decisions in the matter at issue in whole or in part on any law, legal code or system that would not grant the parties affected by the ruling or decision the same fundamental liberties, rights and privileges granted under the United States and Kansas constitutions.” Provides “Nothing in this act shall be construed to disapprove of or abrogate any appellate decision previously rendered by the supreme court of Kansas.”

Virginia House Courts of Justice, Civil Sub-Committee

HB 631 Provides that court decisions and contracts and other agreements will be void as violative of the public policy of the Commonwealth where such decisions or contracts are based on foreign law, i.e., law applied in a jurisdiction outside of the United States, where the application of such foreign law would violate a person’s rights guaranteed by the United States Constitution or the Constitution of Virginia.

HB 825 Prohibits any Virginia court or administrative agency from applying the law of any jurisdiction outside of the United States and its territories unless the application is required by the United States Constitution, the Constitution of Virginia, or any federal or state law.

January 31

California Assembly

Last for Assembly to pass AB 1208, regarding Judicial Council’s power over state judiciary’s budget (details here)

Florida Senate Judiciary Committee

SB 410 Requiring that a litigant pay a specified surcharge in addition to any other cost incurred for filing court and other legal documents by means of paper documents instead of electronically filing the documents. Provides an exception for a person who is indigent.

Tennessee House Judiciary Committee

HB 173 Ends merit selection. Requires contested elections for all  judges, including appellate and supreme court judges.

February 1

Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics (public hearing)

AB 424 Makes battery or threat to a court employee a Class I felony. Makes it a Class I felony to threaten to cause damage to a courthouse and if the threatened action could result in bodily harm to a judge or court employee.

Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Judiciary and Ethics (votes)

AJR 49 (Constitutional Amendment) Ends practice where chief justice is most senior justice of the supreme court. Directs the supreme court to elect a chief justice as the first order of business each time a justice is elected or reelected.

AB 101 Requires a municipal judge to be a licensed Wisconsin attorney.

AB 285 Increases maximum court fees assessed for ordinance violations in municipal courts from $28 to $38.

Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations (public hearing)

SJR 36 (Constitutional Amendment) Ends practice where chief justice is most senior justice of the supreme court. Directs the supreme court to elect a chief justice as the first order of business each time a justice is elected or reelected.

February 2

February 3

The latest agenda for that Assembly committee, however, indicates the vote is now back on for Thursday, February 2.

Utah 1/23/12
Minnesota 1/24/12

Committee Activity of Note

January 23

South Dakota House Judiciary Committee

HB 1064 Allows the Supreme Court to establish certain rules for the use of interactive audio visual equipment and to provide for the collection and deposit of fees for the use thereof.

January 24

Georgia House Non-Civil Judiciary Committee, Rep. Setzler’s Subcommittee

HB 242 Declares “‘foreign law’ means any law, rule, or legal code or system established and used or applied in a jurisdiction outside of the United States or its territories…A court, administrative agency, or other tribunal shall not enforce a foreign law if doing so would violate a right guaranteed by the Constitution of this state or of the United States.”

Maryland House Judiciary Committee

Presentation on state judiciary’s electronic filing system

January 25

Florida Senate Committee on Judiciary

SB 1360 Provides “foreign law, legal code, or system” means any law, legal code, or system of a jurisdiction outside any state or territory of the United States, including, but not limited to, international organizations or tribunals, and applied by that jurisdiction’s courts, administrative bodies, or other formal or informal tribunals. Provides the term does not include the common law and statute laws of England as described or any laws of the Native American tribes in the state. Declares “Any court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency ruling or decision violates the public policy of this state and is void and unenforceable if the court, arbitration, tribunal, or administrative agency bases its ruling or decision in the matter at issue in whole or in part on any foreign law, legal code, or system that does not grant the parties affected by the ruling or decision the same fundamental liberties, rights, and privileges guaranteed by the State Constitution or the United States Constitution.”

Indiana Senate Judiciary Committee

SB 8 Requires the attorney general to represent a court that has issued an order of mandate for funds for the operation of the court or court related functions. Prohibits the state from reimbursing a judge for expenses incurred in employing a private attorney to represent the court in an action for mandate of funds.

New Hampshire House Committee on Judiciary

HB 1422 Declares that no New Hampshire court shall enforce foreign law or a state law enforcing foreign law if such enforcement violates an individual’s or corporation’s rights under the New Hampshire constitution or the United States Constitution.

January 26

January 27

Alaska 1/17/12
New Mexico 1/17/12
Hawaii 1/18/12

Committee Activity of Note

January 16

Virginia Senate Committee on Courts of Justice

SB 95 Adjusts the mandatory retirement age under judicial retirement to age 73 (currently 70).

Virginia House Committee on Courts of Justice, Civil Subcommittee

HB 163 Adjusts the mandatory retirement age under judicial retirement to age 73 (currently 70).

January 17

New Hampshire House Committee on Judiciary (Public hearing)

CACR 25 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides that the supreme and superior courts shall not be constitutionally established courts.

January 19

Florida Senate Judiciary Committee

SJR 408 (Constitutional Amendment) Increases mandatory retirement age for judges from 70 to 75.

New Hampshire House Committee on Judiciary (Voting session)

CACR 24 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides that no person shall be eligible to be appointed a judge until such person has reached 60 years of age.

CACR 25 (Constitutional Amendment) Provides that the supreme and superior courts shall not be constitutionally established courts.

Delaware 6/30/2011
Rhode Island 6/30/2011 (Estimated)
Oregon 6/30/2011 (Estimated)
New Hampshire 7/1/2011

Louisiana 6/23/2011

Maine 6/15/2011
Alabama 6/15/2011 (Estimated)

Nevada 6/6/2011
Connecticut 6/8/2011

Missouri 5/30/2011
Texas 5/30/2011
Kansas 5/31/2011 (Estimated)
Nebraska 6/1/2011 (Estimated)
North Carolina 6/1/2011 (Estimated)
South Carolina 6/2/2011

Minnesota 5/23/2011
Oklahoma 5/27/2011