HJ314 • 2026

Election of Circuit Court Judges, General District Court Judges, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges.

Children Elections

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Maldonado
Last action: 2026-03-11
Official status: Introduced
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide information on the exact process for nominating judges beyond the election dates and some procedural details.

Election Dates for Judges

This bill sets specific dates for electing judges in various circuits and districts.

What This Bill Does

Sets election dates for Circuit Court judges in several judicial circuits, including the Fourth, Tenth, Twenty-first, Twenty-second, and Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuits.
Sets election dates for General District Court judges in multiple judicial districts, such as the Fourth, Sixth, Tenth, Fifteenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-first, Twenty-third, Twenty-sixth, and Twenty-seventh Judicial Districts.
Sets election dates for Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judges in several judicial districts, including the First, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, Eighteenth, Twenty-second, Twenty-fourth, and Twenty-eighth Judicial Districts.

Who It Names or Affects

Judges running for Circuit Courts, General District Courts, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts.
Voters who participate in these elections.

Terms To Know

Circuit Court: A court that handles serious criminal cases and civil disputes.
General District Court: A lower-level court dealing with minor crimes, traffic violations, and small claims.
Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court: A court that deals with cases involving children and family issues.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill specifies exact election dates for most judges but delays some elections until another bill is passed.
Some specific details about the nomination process are included in the bill text.

Bill History

2026-03-11 House
Presented, ordered printed (HJ314)
2026-03-11 House
Presented, ordered printed (HJ314)
2026-03-11 House
Introduced bill reprinted 26109688D

Official Summary Text

Election of Circuit Court Judges, General District Court Judges, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Election of Circuit Court Judges, General District Court Judges, and Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court Judges.
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly shall proceed today
To the election of Circuit Court judges for terms of eight years commencing as follows:
One judge for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, term commencing April 16, 2026.
One judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit, term commencing July 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-first Judicial Circuit, term commencing May 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-second Judicial Circuit, term commencing May 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuit, term commencing April 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-fourth Judicial Circuit, term commencing July 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-seventh Judicial Circuit, term commencing July 1, 2026.
To the election of General District Court judges for terms of six years commencing as follows:
One judge for the Fourth Judicial District, term commencing June 1, 2026.
One judge for the Sixth Judicial District, term commencing May 1, 2026.
One judge for the Tenth Judicial District, term commencing July 1, 2026.
One judge for the Fifteenth Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
One judge for the Fifteenth Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
One judge for the Eighteenth Judicial District, term commencing May 16, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-first Judicial District, term commencing May 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-third Judicial District, term commencing November 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-sixth Judicial District, term commencing July 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-seventh Judicial District, term commencing July 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-ninth Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
To the election of Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court judges for terms of six years commencing as follows:
One judge for the First Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
One judge for the Fifteenth Judicial District, term commencing July 1, 2026.
One judge for the Fifteenth Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
One judge for the Sixteenth Judicial District, term commencing June 1, 2026.
One judge for the Eighteenth Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-second Judicial District, term commencing June 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-fourth Judicial District, term commencing August 1, 2026.
One judge for the Twenty-eighth Judicial District, term commencing April 1, 2026.
And that in the execution of the joint order nominations shall be made in the order herein named, and that each house shall be notified of said nominations, and when the rolls shall be called for the whole number, the presiding officers of each house shall appoint a committee of three, which together shall constitute the joint committee to count the vote of each house in each case and report the results to their respective houses. The joint order may be suspended by the presiding officer of either house at any time but for no longer than twenty-four hours to receive the report of the joint committee.
Resolved further, that the election of (i) one judge for the Twenty-seventh Judicial Circuit, (ii) one judge for the Twenty-sixth Judicial District General District Court, and (iii) one judge for the Twenty-seventh Judicial District General District Court, shall not be effective until the enactment of Senate Bill No. 158, 2026 Session, as agreed to and adopted by the General Assembly.