MN SF2247

Changes Court of Appeals eligibility to require judges filling new vacancies after July 1, 2012 to reside in their designated congressional district for at least one year, while allowing incumbent judges to complete their terms regardless of residence.

Designates two seats per congressional district on the Court of Appeals, using congressional districts from the 2012 state general election and redrawn districts following each subsequent redistricting.

Requires the chief judge to redesignate judges by the first Monday in January 2013 and every ten years thereafter following redistricting, with judges maintaining eligibility for their original district seat without regard to subsequent residence changes.

Directs the chief judge to reassign incumbent judges to new congressional districts based on their original residence, with priority for maintaining two judges per district and using at-large judge assignments when necessary.

All changes are effective July 1, 2012, and do not affect the terms of judges already serving on that date.