CRC - 2017 CS for P 47 By the Committee on Executive; and Commissioners Schifino and Coxe 310-00194-17 201747c1 1 A proposal to amend 2 Section 8 of Article V and to create a new section in 3 Article XII of the State Constitution to require a 4 person to have at least ten years membership in a bar 5 in the United States of America, the preceding five of 6 which must be in The Florida Bar, in order to be 7 eligible to serve in the office of circuit or county 8 judge. 9 10 11 Be It Proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission of 12 Florida: 13 14 Section 8 of Article V of the State Constitution is amended 15 to read: 16 ARTICLE V 17 JUDICIARY 18 SECTION 8. Eligibility.—No person shall be eligible for 19 office of justice or judge of any court unless the person is an 20 elector of the state and resides in the territorial jurisdiction 21 of the court. No justice or judge shall serve after attaining 22 the age of seventy years except upon temporary assignment or to 23 complete a term, one-half of which has been served. No person is 24 eligible for the office of justice of the supreme court or judge 25 of a district court of appeal unless the person is, and has been 26 for the preceding ten years, a member of the bar of Florida. No 27 person is eligible for the office of circuit judge unless the 28 person is, and has been for the preceding five years, a member 29 of the bar of Florida. No person is eligible for the office of 30 circuit judge unless the person is, and has been for the 31 preceding ten years, a member of a bar of one of the states or 32 territories of the United States of America.Unless otherwise33provided by general law,No person is eligible for the office of 34 county court judge unless the person is, and has been for the 35 preceding five years, a member of the bar of Florida. No person 36 is eligible for the office of county court judge unless the 37 person is, and has been for the preceding ten years, a member of 38 a bar of one of the states or territories of the United States 39 of America. Notwithstanding the foregoing, unless otherwise 40 provided by general law, a person shall be eligible for election 41 or appointment to the office of county court judge in a county 42 having a population of 40,000 or less if the person is a member 43 in good standing of the bar of Florida. 44 45 A new section is added to Article XII of the State 46 Constitution to read: 47 ARTICLE XII 48 SCHEDULE 49 Qualifications of circuit judges and county court judges.— 50 The amendment to Section 8 of Article V, which revises the 51 qualifications for a person to be eligible for the office of 52 circuit judge and county court judge, shall only apply 53 prospectively from January 8, 2019. The amendment may not be 54 construed to affect a person who has assumed the office of 55 circuit judge or county court judge on or before January 8, 56 2019, or any person who has been nominated for a vacancy in the 57 office of circuit judge or county court judge by a judicial 58 nominating commission, but has not yet assumed office, as of 59 January 8, 2019.