HJR 1135 2003
1	House Joint Resolution
2	A joint resolution proposing an amendment to Section 11 of
3	Article V of the State Constitution to require that the
4	deliberations and records related thereto of judicial
5	nominating commissions be open to the public.
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7	Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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9	That the amendment to Section 11 of Article V of the State
10	Constitution set forth below is agreed to and shall be submitted
11	to the electors of Florida for approval or rejection at the
12	general election to be held in November 2004:
13	ARTICLE V
14	JUDICIARY
15	SECTION 11. Vacancies.--
16	(a) Whenever a vacancy occurs in a judicial office to
17	which election for retention applies, the governor shall fill
18	the vacancy by appointing for a term ending on the first Tuesday
19	after the first Monday in January of the year following the next
20	general election occurring at least one year after the date of
21	appointment, one of not fewer than three persons nor more than
22	six persons nominated by the appropriate judicial nominating
23	commission.
24	(b) The governor shall fill each vacancy on a circuit
25	court or on a county court, wherein the judges are elected by a
26	majority vote of the electors, by appointing for a term ending
27	on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January of the
28	year following the next primary and general election occurring
29	at least one year after the date of appointment, one of not
30	fewer than three persons nor more than six persons nominated by
31	the appropriate judicial nominating commission. An election
32	shall be held to fill that judicial office for the term of the
33	office beginning at the end of the appointed term.
34	(c) The nominations shall be made within thirty days from
35	the occurrence of a vacancy unless the period is extended by the
36	governor for a time not to exceed thirty days. The governor
37	shall make the appointment within sixty days after the
38	nominations have been certified to the governor.
39	(d) There shall be a separate judicial nominating
40	commission as provided by general law for the supreme court,
41	each district court of appeal, and each judicial circuit for all
42	trial courts within the circuit. Uniform rules of procedure
43	shall be established by the judicial nominating commissions at
44	each level of the court system. Such rules, or any part thereof,
45	may be repealed by general law enacted by a majority vote of the
46	membership of each house of the legislature, or by the supreme
47	court, five justices concurring. Except for deliberations of the
48	judicial nominating commissions,The proceedings of the
49	commissions and their records shall be open to the public.
50	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the title and substance of the
51	amendment proposed herein shall appear on the ballot as follows:
52	OPEN MEETINGS AND RECORDS OF JUDICIAL NOMINATING COMMISSIONS
53	Proposes an amendment to Section 11 of Article V of the
54	State Constitution to require that the deliberations and records
55	related thereto of the judicial nominating commissions be open
56	to the public.