BATON ROUGE – Louisiana voters on Saturday approved a series of constitutional amendments that, among other things, would expand the panel that examines the behavior of judges and changes timing rules for state lawmakers.

The four proposals on the ballot and were the only items to be considered at polls statewide. Several parishes in the Baton Rouge area had only the four questions on the local ballot: East Feliciana, St. Helena and West Feliciana.

Under proposed Amendment 1, the Judiciary Commission would have 14 members, up from nine. The expansion move was proposed as a way to overcome delays. Opponents were unhappy with a provision that would give Supreme Court justices the power to file their own complaints, believing it would raise due process concerns because the court also metes punishment.

Two Baton Rouge judges have cases pending. A hearing officer this fall heard evidence against Judge Tiffany Foxworth-Roberts and how she advertised during her most recent election. The Supreme Court suspended Judge Eboni Johnson Rose amid an investigation that she mishandled cases.

Other issues approved were:

Amendment 2 - require that lawmakers wait 48 hours before adopting a conference committee report or amendments involving spending state money,

Amendment 3 - let lawmakers extend regular sessions in two-day increments, up to six days, to pass a budget bill, and

Amendment 4 - would eliminate mandatory tax sales for nonpayment of property taxes and also limit the size of penalties and interest on delinquent property taxes and let property tax payments be postponed in certain situations.