Republican lawmakers have introduced a bill that would reduce judges terms to two years, while leaving it up to voters to decide the fate of the legislation.
The House and Senate rules committees released the proposal Tuesday. It would reduce terms for trial and appeals court judges to two years. Right now, District Court judges serve four-year terms, while Superior Court and Court of Appeals judges and Supreme Court justices get eight years.
Under the proposal, voters would decide in May whether to reduce the terms and put all incumbents up for re-election the following November.
Legislative support for the bill is unclear. Governor Roy Cooper's office released a statement calling the legislation “an insidious attempt to intimidate judges,” and accusing the GOP of trying to pick judges who agree with their views.
The General Assembly on Tuesday overrode the governor's veto of a bill effectively cancelling next year's primaries for judges and prosecutors.
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