HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2709

BYRepresentatives Crane and Appelwick

Revising criteria for setting the number of district court judges in each electoral district.

House Committe on Judiciary

Majority Report:  The substitute bill be substituted therefor and the substitute bill do pass.  (11)

      Signed by Representatives Appelwick, Chair; Crane, Vice Chair; Padden, Ranking Republican Member; Dellwo, Forner, Hargrove, R. Meyers, H. Myers, Scott, Tate and Wineberry.

House Staff:Bill Perry (786-7123)

AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY FEBRUARY 1, 1990

BACKGROUND:

In 1989, the Legislature authorized counties with county-wide district courts, but multiple courtroom locations, to establish smaller electoral units within the district.  One of the requirements in the new law is that each of the electoral subdistricts must include "approximately equal population."

King county is currently divided into several district courts.  The county legislative authority is planning to consolidate all of the county into one district court district. When consolidation occurs, the county-wide district could then be divided into subdistrict electoral units.  If electoral subdistricts are not created, all of the district court judges will run for election at large in King County.

The King County legislative authority and the district court judges have been negotiating on consolidation plans.  The equal population requirement for electoral subdistricts limits the choices available in a consolidation.  If Seattle is to be one of the electoral subdistricts in King County, the remainder of the county would have to be divided into two subdistricts in order to meet the equal population requirement.  Otherwise, Seattle would have to be subdivided into smaller electoral subdistricts, too.  None of the participants in the negotiations desires either of these alternatives.

State law authorizes 24 district court judges in King County.  The number of judges in a district is determined by a population formula set in statute.

SUMMARY:

SUBSTITUTE BILL:  The requirement that district court subdistrict electoral units must be of equal population is removed.  Several requirements for the creation of districts are made applicable to subdistricts.  Among these requirements are that a city may not be in more than one subdistrict.

SUBSTITUTE BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL:  The original bill requires that the number of judges in any subdistrict be determined by the same population formula that applies to whole districts.  The substitute allows a county legislative authority to apportion the county's total allotment of judicial positions among the subdistricts as it desires.  The original bill does not require that cities be within one subdistrict.

Fiscal Note:      Not Requested.

House Committee ‑ Testified For:    Robert McBeth, King County District Court Judges Association; Sandra Driscell, City of Kent; and Ron Main, King County (in favor of substitute).

House Committee - Testified Against:      No one.

House Committee - Testimony For:    The bill will give the parties involved the flexibility they need to implement the planned consolidation of court administration.

House Committee - Testimony Against:      None.