A new 15-member state Senate committee will tackle issues linked to judicial reform and redistricting. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockinghham, announced the committee’s formation this morning.
Republican Sens. Dan Bishop, Warren Daniel, and Bill Rabon will co-chair the Senate Select Committee on Judicial Reform and Redistricting.
“After 60 years of haphazard and sometimes contradictory changes to our judicial system, I hope our state can have a thoughtful dialogue on how to modernize, reform, and strengthen it in the coming months,” Berger said in a news release. “The judiciary touches every North Carolinian, so the conversation needs to include Republicans and Democrats, judges, legislators, district attorneys, clerks of court, executive branch officials, men and women of all races, and, yes, even lawyers.”
“This committee will carefully consider all options on how we select judges, including the House’s judicial redistricting bill, merit selection models, retention elections, and, if we maintain a system of elections, their frequency and partisan structure,” Berger continued. “I sincerely hope the committee reaches a consensus recommendation that will modernize and strengthen our courts.”
Judicial election issues have hit the headlines in recent months. The House has approved House Bill 717, which would redraw judicial election maps. The full General Assembly approved Senate Bill 656, over Gov. Roy Cooper’s veto, to eliminate primary elections in all 2018 judicial races. The powerful Rules Committee chairmen in both chambers have announced a proposed constitutional amendment that would eliminate all extended judicial terms and subject judges to elections every two years.
The new Senate committee has 10 Republican members and five Democrats. There’s no announcement of its initial meeting date. The full General Assembly returns to Raleigh on Jan. 10.