HOUSE BILL REPORT

ESB 5592

BYSenators Tanner, McCaslin and Garrett

Providing qualifications for nonattorney municipal court judges.

House Committe on Judiciary

Majority Report:  Do pass.  (12)

      Signed by Representatives Armstrong, Chair; Crane, Vice Chair; Appelwick, Hargrove, Heavey, P. King, Moyer, Niemi, Padden, Schmidt, Wang and Wineberry.

Minority Report:  Do not pass.  (1)

      Signed by Representative Patrick.

House Staff:Harry Reinert (786-7110)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY APRIL 2, 1987

BACKGROUND:

Cities and towns are authorized to establish municipal courts.  Generally, the judge of the municipal court is required to be an attorney.  In municipalities which have a population of less than 5,000 persons, a nonattorney may be appointed to the position of municipal court judge.

SUMMARY:

In a municipality having a population of less than 5,000, a person who is not an attorney must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible to be appointed to the position of judge.  The person must be 18 years or older, be a registered voter, have attained a high school diploma or a G.E.D. certificate, and have taken and passed the qualifying examination which is approved by rule of the Supreme Court.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Janet McLane, Office of the Administrator for the Courts.

House Committee - Testified Against:      None Presented.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The proposed standards are consistent with current practice and with standards applied to other non-lawyer judges.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None Presented.