Z-0299.1  _______________________________________________

                         SENATE BILL 5037

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senators McCaslin, Heavey and Rasmussen; by request of Board for Judicial Administration

Read first time 01/11/1999.  Referred to Committee on Judiciary.

Creating a new court of appeals position for Pierce county.

    AN ACT Relating to the court of appeals; amending RCW 2.06.020; and adding a new section to chapter 2.06 RCW.

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

    Sec. 1.  RCW 2.06.020 and 1993 c 420 s 1 are each amended to read as follows:

    The court shall have three divisions, one of which shall be headquartered in Seattle, one of which shall be headquartered in Spokane, and one of which shall be headquartered in Tacoma:

    (1) The first division shall have twelve judges from three districts, as follows:

    (a) District 1 shall consist of King county and shall have eight judges;

    (b) District 2 shall consist of Snohomish county and shall have two judges; and

    (c) District 3 shall consist of Island, San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom counties and shall have two judges.

    (2) The second division shall have ((six)) seven judges from the following districts:

    (a) District 1 shall consist of Pierce county and shall have ((two)) three judges;

    (b) District 2 shall consist of Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, Kitsap, Mason, and Thurston counties and shall have two judges;

    (c) District 3 shall consist of Clark, Cowlitz, Lewis, Pacific, Skamania, and Wahkiakum counties and shall have two judges.

    (3) The third division shall have five judges from the following districts:

    (a) District 1 shall consist of Ferry, Lincoln, Okanogan, Pend Oreille, Spokane and Stevens counties and shall have two judges;

    (b) District 2 shall consist of Adams, Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Walla Walla, and Whitman counties and shall have one judge;

    (c) District 3 shall consist of Chelan, Douglas, Kittitas, Klickitat and Yakima counties and shall have two judges.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  A new section is added to chapter 2.06 RCW to read as follows:

    The new judicial position for the second division, district 1, Pierce county, created pursuant to the 1999 amendment to RCW 2.06.020 shall become effective July 1, 2000, and shall be filled by gubernatorial appointment.

    The person appointed by the governor shall hold office until the general election to be held in November 2000.  At the general election, the judge appointed shall be entitled to run for a term of six years or until the second Monday in January 2007, and until a successor is elected and qualified.  Thereafter, the judge shall be elected for a term of six years and until a successor is elected and qualified, commencing with the second Monday in January succeeding the election.

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