Florida Senate - 2011                                    SB 2170
       
       
       
       By the Committee on Judiciary
       
       
       
       
       590-03837-11                                          20112170__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to judicial nominating commissions;
    3         amending s. 43.291, F.S.; providing for the Attorney
    4         General, rather than the Board of Governors of The
    5         Florida Bar, to submit nominees for certain positions
    6         on judicial nominating commissions; providing for the
    7         termination of terms of all current members of
    8         judicial nominating commissions; providing for
    9         staggered terms of newly appointed members; providing
   10         an effective date.
   11  
   12  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   13  
   14         Section 1. Subsections (1) and (3) of section 43.291,
   15  Florida Statutes, are amended to read:
   16         43.291 Judicial nominating commissions.—
   17         (1) Each judicial nominating commission shall be composed
   18  of the following members:
   19         (a) Four members of The Florida Bar, appointed by the
   20  Governor, who are engaged in the practice of law, each of whom
   21  is a resident of the territorial jurisdiction served by the
   22  commission to which the member is appointed. The Attorney
   23  General Board of Governors of The Florida Bar shall submit to
   24  the Governor three recommended nominees for each position. The
   25  Governor shall select the appointee from the list of nominees
   26  recommended for that position, but the Governor may reject all
   27  of the nominees recommended for a position and request that the
   28  Attorney General Board of Governors submit a new list of three
   29  different recommended nominees for that position who have not
   30  been previously recommended by the Attorney General Board of
   31  Governors.
   32         (b) Five members appointed by the Governor, each of whom is
   33  a resident of the territorial jurisdiction served by the
   34  commission to which the member is appointed, of which at least
   35  two are members of The Florida Bar engaged in the practice of
   36  law.
   37         (3) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section,
   38  each current member of a judicial nominating commission
   39  appointed directly by the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar
   40  shall serve the remainder of his or her term, unless removed for
   41  cause. The terms of all current other members of a judicial
   42  nominating commission are hereby terminated, and the Governor
   43  shall appoint new members to each judicial nominating commission
   44  in the following manner:
   45         (a) Two appointments for terms ending July 1, 2012 2002,
   46  one of which shall be an appointment selected from nominations
   47  submitted by the Attorney General Board of Governors of The
   48  Florida Bar pursuant to paragraph (1)(a);
   49         (b) Two appointments for terms ending July 1, 2013 2003;
   50  and
   51         (c) Two appointments for terms ending July 1, 2014 2004.
   52  
   53  Every subsequent appointment, except an appointment to fill a
   54  vacant, unexpired term, shall be for 4 years. Each expired term
   55  or vacancy shall be filled by appointment in the same manner as
   56  the member whose position is being filled.
   57         Section 2. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law.