Litigation

New Gavel to Gavel Issue

By Charlie Hall

Gavel to Gavel, the excellent National Center for State Courts summary of legislation affecting state courts, has been released. This note from editor Bill Raftery contains the details:

• Small claims: Oklahoma?s House and Senate vote to more than quadruple their limits from $6,000 to $25,000 while New Hampshire?s House approves an increase from $5,000 to $10,000.

• Oklahoma?s House and Senate have now approved similar bills to allow the leaders of their respective chambers to select members of the state?s Judicial Nominating Commission.

• Texas? Senate and House Elections Committee approve bills to prohibit accepting or asking for campaign contributions in a courthouse.

• Nevada?s Assembly votes to set deadlines and restructure processing for the state?s Commission on Judicial Discipline.

• Tennessee?s legislature sends to their governor a bill to create municipal courts in any municipality that does not already have one.

• Washington?s legislature approves a restructuring to drug court funding in the state.

• South Carolina considers amending their constitution to allow trial judges, but not appellate jurists, and other elected officials to play the state lottery.

Read it all here: www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/gaveltogavel/G to G 3-17.pdf

And remember our new searchable database for all Gavel to Gavel legislation: http://www.ncsconline.org/D_Research/gaveltogavel/Bills.asp.

Full post as published by The Gavel on April 30, 2009 (boomark / email).