Rule 10.04 Circuit Judicial Commissions - Terms of Office of Members

When a new circuit judicial commission is created, this rule explains how long the first group of members gets to serve. Their terms don't start right away. They begin only after all the first elected and appointed members have been chosen.

Once everyone is in place, the terms are staggered so members don't all leave at the same time. One elected member's term ends after three years, one appointed member's term ends after four years, another elected member's term ends after five years, and another appointed member's term ends after six years. All these end dates fall on December 31 of that specific year.

The starting point for counting these years is the general election that put the nonpartisan court plan in place for that circuit. This staggered system keeps the commission running smoothly, since new members join at different times instead of the whole group changing over all at once.