HF 678

as introduced - 89th Legislature (2015 - 2016) Posted on 02/09/2015 02:03pm

A bill for an act
relating to judges; creating judicial election districts; amending Minnesota
Statutes 2014, section 2.722, subdivision 1.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1.

Minnesota Statutes 2014, section 2.722, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

Subdivision 1.

Description new text begin of judicial districts and election districts new text end .

new text begin (a)
new text end Effective July 1, 1959, the state is divided into ten judicial districts composed of the
following named counties, respectively, in each of which districts judges shall be chosen
as hereinafter specified:

1. Goodhue, Dakota, Carver, Le Sueur, McLeod, Scott, and Sibley; 36 judges; and
four permanent chambers shall be maintained in Red Wing, Hastings, Shakopee, and
Glencoe and one other shall be maintained at the place designated by the chief judge
of the district;

2. Ramsey; 26 judges;

3. Wabasha, Winona, Houston, Rice, Olmsted, Dodge, Steele, Waseca, Freeborn,
Mower, and Fillmore; 23 judges; and permanent chambers shall be maintained in
Faribault, Albert Lea, Austin, Rochester, and Winona;

4. Hennepin; 60 judges;

5. Blue Earth, Watonwan, Lyon, Redwood, Brown, Nicollet, Lincoln, Cottonwood,
Murray, Nobles, Pipestone, Rock, Faribault, Martin, and Jackson; 16 judges; and permanent
chambers shall be maintained in Marshall, Windom, Fairmont, New Ulm, and Mankato;

6. Carlton, St. Louis, Lake, and Cook; 15 judges;

7. Benton, Douglas, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Otter Tail, Stearns, Todd, Clay, Becker,
and Wadena; 28 judges; and permanent chambers shall be maintained in Moorhead,
Fergus Falls, Little Falls, and St. Cloud;

8. Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Lac qui Parle, Meeker, Renville, Swift, Yellow Medicine,
Big Stone, Grant, Pope, Stevens, Traverse, and Wilkin; 11 judges; and permanent
chambers shall be maintained in Morris, Montevideo, and Willmar;

9. Norman, Polk, Marshall, Kittson, Red Lake, Roseau, Mahnomen, Pennington,
Aitkin, Itasca, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Beltrami, Lake of the Woods, Clearwater, Cass and
Koochiching; 23 judges; and permanent chambers shall be maintained in Crookston, Thief
River Falls, Bemidji, Brainerd, Grand Rapids, and International Falls; and

10. Anoka, Isanti, Wright, Sherburne, Kanabec, Pine, Chisago, and Washington;
45 judges; and permanent chambers shall be maintained in Anoka, Stillwater, and other
places designated by the chief judge of the district.

new text begin (b) In all districts except the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts, a candidate for
district court judge shall be elected by voters residing in the county in which the judge is
chambered. If no judge is chambered in a county, the Commission on Judicial Selection
shall assign a judgeship to a contiguous group of counties for an election at least 30 days
prior to a general election.
new text end

new text begin In the Second and Fourth Judicial Districts, a candidate for district court judge shall
be elected by voters residing in the judge's judicial election precinct. By October 1, 2015,
and thereafter, 30 days prior to a general election following the addition of a judgeship, the
Commission on Judicial Selection shall establish boundaries of judicial election precincts
and assign a judgeship to each precinct in the Second and Fourth Judicial districts. The
boundaries of judicial election precincts must follow visible, clearly recognizable physical
features, be composed of compact, contiguous territory, and be substantially equal in
population based on the results of the most recent decennial census.
new text end

new text begin EFFECTIVE DATE. new text end

new text begin This section is effective July 1, 2015.
new text end