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Texas Voters Approve Proposition 9

By Chris Dykes
Voters statewide on November 5 approved Proposition 9 that amends the Texas State Constitution to provide the State Commission on Judicial Conduct with more options on sanctions against judges for ethical rule violations (see Tex Parte blog for more details). Prior to the amendment, the commission could only issue public censure or removal of judge after a formal proceeding, but now in addition to these sanctions, less severe punishments are available. These include public admonition, warning, reprimand or requiring the judge to undergo additional training or eduction. Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 42, which allowed the voters to decide on expanding these sanctions was passed by the Texas State Legislature earlier this year and is available on the Texas Legislature Online's website. This website has the history of the bill's progress through the legislature, the full text of the different versions of the bill, bill analysis, and committee reports.
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