SUPREME COURT DISTRICTS S.B. 745:
COMMITTEE SUMMARY
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Senate Bill 745 (as introduced 8-19-09)
Sponsor: Senator Michelle A. McManus
Committee: Campaign and Election Oversight
Date Completed: 10-13-09
CONTENT
The bill would amend the Michigan Election Law to provide for the election of Michigan Supreme Court justices by district.
The bill would divide the State into seven Michigan Supreme Court districts, each of which would be entitled to elect one justice of the Court. Each district would consist of counties as provided by law. By January 1, 2012, and every 10 years after that, the Legislature would have to review the Federal decennial census data for counties and their political subdivisions and provide for adjustments in district boundaries to achieve a population size that was not more than 150% and not less than 95% of the ideal district population.
Currently, a person is eligible for election or appointment to the office of Supreme Court justice if he or she is a registered and qualified elector of Michigan by the filing deadline or the date he or she files the affidavit of candidacy. Under the bill, instead, a person would be eligible if he or she were a registered and qualified elector of the district he or she sought to represent.
The bill provides that an individual elected to the office of Supreme Court justice before the bill took effect would hold the office for the remainder of the term to which he or she was elected.
MCL 168.391 et al. Legislative Analyst: Julie Cassidy
FISCAL IMPACT
There could be costs associated with the Legislature's review of census data to determine appropriate district size; however, this cost is indeterminate. The cost of legislative redistricting based on the 2000 census data exceeded $1.0 million.
Fiscal Analyst: Joe Carrasco
Analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent. sb745/0910