SF1082 Summary

• Proposes constitutional amendment to Minnesota Constitution Article VI establishing judicial retention elections where justices and judges are appointed by the governor and then subject to voter retention elections every six years rather than competitive elections.

• Creates a 24-member independent Judicial Performance Evaluation Commission appointed by the governor (8 members), chief justice (8 members), and legislature (8 members) to evaluate judicial performance on nonpartisan criteria and provide public reports on judge qualifications.

• Amends campaign finance and election laws to treat judicial retention elections as candidate elections subject to contribution and expenditure reporting requirements, including expedited reporting for judicial advocacy committees within three days of exceeding $750 in spending.

• Requires the constitutional amendment to be submitted to voters at the 2014 general election with ballot title "Impartial Election of Judges, Requiring Merit Selection and Public Performance Evaluation of Judges."

• Applies new system prospectively; judges currently seated or elected complete their existing terms under prior law before becoming subject to retention election process, effective July 1, 2015 if amendment is adopted.