HB23-1019 Summary

• Establishes a Judicial Discipline Adjudicative Board composed of three-member panels (one judge, one attorney, one citizen) to conduct formal judicial disciplinary proceedings.

• Requires the Commission on Judicial Discipline to provide complainants with a designated point of contact for updates throughout the process, including notice of dismissals, investigation completion, hearings, and sanctions.

• Mandates the Commission publish annual data online in searchable format regarding complaints received, investigations performed, substantiation rates, and demographics of judges under discipline.

• Allows complainants to submit confidential or anonymous requests for evaluation and requires the Commission to explain the judicial discipline process, including confidentiality requirements at each stage.

• Appropriates $126,986 to the judicial department for the 2023-24 fiscal year (0.8 FTE) to implement the act, with certain provisions contingent on voter approval of House Concurrent Resolution 23-1001 in November 2024.