S-0609.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5116

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators McCaslin and Roach

Read first time 01/13/1999.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Removing the requirement that judges be admitted to the practice of law.

    AN ACT Relating to qualifications of judges; and amending RCW 2.06.050 and 3.34.060.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

    Sec. 1.  RCW 2.06.050 and 1969 ex.s. c 221 s 5 are each amended to read as follows:

    A judge of the court shall be((:

    (1) Admitted to the practice of law in the courts of this state not less than five years prior to taking office.

    (2))) a resident for not less than one year at the time of appointment or initial election in the district for which his or her position was created.

    Sec. 2.  RCW 3.34.060 and 1991 c 361 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    To be eligible to file a declaration of candidacy for and to serve as a district court judge, a person must((:

    (1))) be a registered voter of the district court district and electoral district, if any((; and

    (2) Be either:

    (a) A lawyer admitted to practice law in the state of Washington; or

    (b) A person who has been elected and has served as a justice of the peace, district judge, municipal judge, or police judge in Washington; or

    (c) In those districts having a population of less than five thousand persons, a person who has taken and passed the qualifying examination for the office of district judge as shall be provided by rule of the supreme court)).

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