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FL S0544

Bill

Status

Failed

4/30/2021

Primary Sponsor

Perry Thurston

Click for details

Origin

Senate

2021 Regular Session

AI Summary

  • Restructures each judicial nominating commission from nine members (four Bar-appointed by Governor, five Governor-appointed) to nine members appointed by three authorities: three by the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar, three by the Governor (only two of whom may be Bar members), and three non-lawyer members selected by majority vote of the other six appointees
  • Terminates all existing judicial nominating commission members' terms effective July 1, 2021, and establishes staggered initial appointments with terms ending July 1 of 2022, 2023, and 2024, with subsequent terms lasting 4 years and a two-full-term limit per member
  • Prohibits commission members from concurrently serving on more than one commission, holding elective or appointive political office, serving on the Judicial Qualifications Commission, or being appointed to a state judicial office within 2 years after their term expires
  • Requires the Governor, the Board of Governors, and commission members to ensure commission diversity regarding ethnicity, race, disability, veteran status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and geographic distribution, with annual collection and public release of anonymous, aggregated demographic data on members and applicants
  • Mandates that each new commission member complete within 6 months an educational course covering commission rules of procedure and implicit bias training to promote a nomination process free from bias

Legislative Description

Judicial Nominating Commissions

Last Action

Died in Judiciary

4/30/2021

Committee Referrals

Judiciary1/21/2021

Full Bill Text

No bill text available