Create Twenty-third Judicial District

Effective January 7, 2025, the act:

• Removes Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties from the eighteenth judicial district;
• Creates a twenty-third judicial district comprised of those counties;
• Specifies the number of district court judges for that district; and
• Reduces the number of district court judges for the eighteenth judicial district.

The act specifies that at the election in November of 2024:

• There will be an election for the district attorney for the eighteenth judicial district from the electors of Arapahoe county;
• There will be an election for the district attorney for the twenty-third judicial district from the electors of Douglas, Elbert, and Lincoln counties; and
• Any district court judge of the eighteenth judicial district who is eligible for retention may stand for retention election from the electors of the eighteenth judicial district.

The act clarifies that a district judge of the current eighteenth judicial district who is not up for a retention election in 2024 continues to serve as a district court judge for the remainder of the judge's current term, but the judge serves in the judicial district in which the judge resides.

For the "State Measurement for Accountable, Responsive, and Transparent (SMART) Government Act" hearings from 2021 through 2025, the act directs the judicial department to consult with the counties of the eighteenth judicial district and report on its progress in making the system changes necessary to create the twenty-third judicial district, and for the SMART Act hearing in 2026, the act directs the judicial department to prepare a final report on how the creation of the new district went, including recommendations to the general assembly on how future changes to a judicial district might be made.

(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)