Sec. 9-184c. Appointment as justices of the peace of electors who are not members of major parties. Terms. Vacancies. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 9-184c. Appointment as justices of the peace of electors who are not members of major parties. Terms. Vacancies. (a) In 1994, 1996, and quadrennially thereafter, the town clerk of each town shall appoint as justice of the peace a number of electors of the town who are not members of major parties, as defined in section 9-372, which shall not exceed (1) where no justices of the peace are selected under section 9-183c, one-third of the total number of justices of the peace in the town, or (2) where justices of the peace are selected under section 9-183c, one-third of the total number of justices of the peace in the town less the number of justices of the peace in the town selected under section 9-183c. Such percentage shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number of justices of the peace. Any such appointment shall be made upon written application submitted on or after August first and on or before November first, in such year. No person who has enrollment privileges in the town in a political party which selected justices of the peace under section 9-183b or under section 9-183c within the period beginning three months before said August first and ending on the date the person is to be appointed under this section, shall be eligible for such appointment. Not later than August 1, 1996, and quadrennially thereafter, the town clerk shall send a written notice to each incumbent justice of the peace appointed under this section. Such notice shall inform such justices of the peace of the procedures set forth in this section concerning the reappointment of such justices of the peace.

      (b) If, on November first in such year, the number of applications for justice of the peace filed with the town clerk under subsection (a) of this section exceeds the number of justices of the peace allowed under this section, (1) each such applicant who is an incumbent justice of the peace appointed under this section shall be reappointed if there are sufficient openings and (2) the town clerk shall, on or before the fifteenth business day of November, select the remaining applicants to be appointed as justices of the peace by lot in a ceremony which shall be open to the public and held on five days' public notice. At such lottery the town clerk shall determine the order of all such remaining applications for the purpose of filling future vacancies under subsection (d) of this section. If a town clerk receives a number of applications that is less than the number of justices of the peace that he is authorized to appoint under this section in any year, he shall not appoint any additional justices of the peace.

      (c) Justices of the peace appointed in 1994, shall serve a term of two years beginning on the first Monday in 1995, and justices of the peace appointed in 1996 and thereafter shall serve a term of four years beginning on the first Monday in January in the succeeding year.

      (d) Any vacancy in the office of any such justice of the peace shall be filled by appointment by the town clerk of an elector qualifying under subsection (a) of this section in the order determined in the lottery held under said subsection. If no such lottery is held, the vacancy shall not be filled.

      (P.A. 94-230, S. 6, 10; P.A. 96-120, S. 2, 3.)

      History: P.A. 94-230 effective June 11, 1994; P.A. 96-120 amended Subsec. (a) to require town clerks to send quadrennial notices re reappointment procedures to incumbent justices of the peace and amended Subsec. (b) by adding provision requiring reappointment of incumbent justices of the peace if there are sufficient openings, effective May 24, 1996.