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Bill Raftery

Bill Raftery

Recent Articles

Kansas House committee removes provision requiring state courts order funding as required by the U.S. Constitution

Bill Raftery
March 22, 2012 13:12

Yesterday I noted with respect to a Minnesota bill that it was common for legislators to propose constitutional amendments to prohibit state courts from ordering funds to be expended. Late last week Kansas’ House Judiciary Committee advanced just such a bill, but with an interesting change....

New Hampshire House effort to create 7-year terms for judges taken off the table, may have vote this afternoon Update: Effort fails 172-176 on procedural vote

Bill Raftery
March 21, 2012 16:36

Judges in New Hampshire’s state courts, after their appointment by the governor and confirmation by the state’s executive council, serve until age 70, must to the angst of several members of the legislature. CACR 11, introduced initially in 2011, would replace this with 5-year terms...

Minnesota bill would cut judicial funding for every dollar court orders state to pay

Bill Raftery
March 21, 2012 15:35

Bills that would prohibit courts from ordering or directing the expenditure of state funds are nothing new. When courts have ordered increased funding, for schools for example, there has been anecdotal evidence that court budgets have been reduced in retaliation. Minnesota’s SB 2454, however,...

Tennessee House Judiciary Committee approves 9-6 plan to put merit selection explicitly in state’s constitution

Bill Raftery
March 20, 2012 17:17

There has been copious amounts written on this blog and in the Gavel to Gavel publication on Tennessee’s merit selection system (here’s an overview). The latest effort, HJR 753, would specifically place a merit-selection system in the state’s constitution for appellate judges in...

Creating court security fees in Minnesota

Bill Raftery
March 20, 2012 14:22

The recent spate of courthouse shootings and attacks has brought the focus back to court security and specifically how to pay for it. Several states provide for court security fees to be added to civil and/or criminal cases. Minnesota is considering such a plan, one that would allow counties that...