Revises provisions relating to the Judicial Department of the State Government. (BDR 1-857)

Under existing law, the Commission on Judicial Discipline has exclusive jurisdiction over the public censure, removal, involuntary retirement and other discipline of judges. (NRS 1.440) Existing law requires that all deliberative sessions of the Commission remain private and any minutes of such sessions remain confidential. (NRS 1.4687) Section 1 of this bill instead requires the Commission to make any minutes of such sessions accessible to the public while maintaining the privacy of the deliberative sessions themselves. Section 3 of this bill makes a conforming change to reflect that the minutes of a deliberative session of the Commission are no longer confidential. Existing law prescribes the qualifications for district judges. Among other requirements, existing law provides that a district judge or candidate for district judge must have been an attorney licensed and admitted to practice law in this State or any other state for a total of not less than 10 years, at least 2 years of which must have been in this State. (NRS 3.060) Section 2 of this bill revises the qualifications for district judges or candidates for district judge to require any such person to have acted as trial counsel in at least 10 trials in a district court of this State. Section 4 of this bill provides that the additional qualifications prescribed by section 2 do not abrogate or affect the current term of office of any district judge who is serving in that office on the effective date of this bill.