Judicial Conference Bylaws
(Amended November 19, 2007)
Article I. Officers
The officers of the Judicial Conference shall be a chair and a chair-elect, who shall hold office for a term of two years commencing at the close of the meeting at which they are elected and continuing until their successors are elected and qualified. The chair-elect shall become the chair at the close of the meeting at the completion of the term of the preceding chair. In the event of the death or disability of the chair or of the vacation of the office, the chair-elect shall succeed to all the duties and exercise all the authority of the chair, and shall also serve the term to which elected.
The chair shall serve for a term of two years and is not eligible for reelection as chair-elect immediately following the completion of that term.
Each officer of the Judicial Conference may serve in that capacity only so long as that officer is a member of the Judicial Conference.
Article II. Executive Committee
There is created an executive committee of the Judicial Conference consisting of the chair; the immediate past chair; the chair-elect, a justice of the supreme court elected by the supreme court; and two district judges elected by the district judges. The supreme court justice and two district judge members of the executive committee shall serve for a term of two years and shall be eligible for one additional two-year term.
The executive committee may act on behalf of the Judicial Conference during the interim between meetings, but may not act on any matter contrary to action taken by the Judicial Conference. The executive committee may consider all matters regarding the functions of the Judicial Conference, and may assign those matters to an appropriate committee of the Conference for study. The executive committee is responsible for Judicial Conference meeting planning, and shall provide the Continuing Judicial Education Commission of the Supreme Court with the number of hours allocated for judicial education at Judicial Conference regular meetings. The Continuing Judicial Education Commission, in coordination with the executive committee, is responsible for determining and planning the educational programs for the Judicial Conference regular meetings.
Article III. Executive Secretary
The state court administrator is the ex-officio executive secretary of the Judicial Conference. The state court administrator, in addition to any other duties assigned by the Judicial Conference, shall provide staff services for all standing and other established committees of the Judicial Conference, and prepare a biennial budget for the Judicial Conference for submission to the legislative assembly within the judicial branch budget.
Article IV. Meetings, Notice of Meetings, and Official Actions
A. Meetings
The Judicial Conference shall hold two regular meetings each year to be held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the State Bar Association and on the Monday preceding Thanksgiving, unless otherwise determined by the chair.
B. Special Meetings
Special meetings of the Conference may be called by the chair whenever the chair deems those meetings necessary. The chair shall call a special meeting of the Conference within ten (10) days whenever a request therefor, in writing, is made and filed with the chair, by ten members of the Conference, or by a majority of the members of the executive committee. Special meetings will be held at such time and place as may be determined by the chair.
C. Notice of Meetings
The executive secretary of the Judicial Conference shall give notice in writing to members of the Conference of the time and place of all meetings and the purpose of all special meetings by mailing the notice at least ten days before each meeting.
D. Official Actions
A quorum consists of twenty-five (25) members of the Judicial Conference. The Conference may act only with the concurrence of a majority of the members present.
Article V. Committees
A. Standing Committees
The Committee on Legislation is a standing committee.
B. Special Committees
The executive committee of the Judicial Conference may create other committees as circumstances may warrant.
C. Committee Membership
General. Except as otherwise provided, this subsection governs committees. The membership of a committee in subdivision A may consist of both members and non-members of the Judicial Conference who shall be appointed by the chair after consultation with the executive committee of the Judicial Conference. However, a committee shall consist of at least three members of the Judicial Conference. A committee member shall serve until the completion of the appointing chair's term. Upon vacating the office by which the member qualified to serve as an ex-officio member of the Judicial Conference, or upon the termination of the term of membership by which the member qualifies to serve as an appointed member of the Judicial Conference, the member shall resign from each committee of the Conference on which the member serves. The members of each committee are eligible for reappointment.
Article VI. Amendments
These rules of procedure and conduct of the Judicial Conference may be amended at any meeting of the Judicial Conference by a majority vote. The executive secretary shall give notice of the proposed amendment in writing to the members of the Judicial Conference by mailing the notice at least ten days before the meeting at which the amendment shall be voted upon.