This bill amends existing laws regarding the appointment and residency requirements of magistrate judges in Iowa. It stipulates that a substitution of a district associate judge for a magistrate must ensure that at least one district associate judge or magistrate is appointed to serve each county, allowing for the possibility of a district associate judge serving multiple counties. Additionally, the bill permits magistrates to be appointed to serve in more than one county, with joint nominations from the county magistrate appointing commissions. The bill also mandates the supreme court to develop a new formula for determining the number of magistrates based on estimated case-related workloads, replacing the previous method of apportionment.

Furthermore, the bill introduces provisions for handling magistrate vacancies, allowing the chief judge of a judicial district to assign a magistrate from one county to fill a vacancy in another county within the same judicial election district if the workload permits. It modifies the residency requirement for magistrates, stating they must reside within the judicial election district or a contiguous county, rather than the county of appointment. These changes will take effect on January 1, 2029, while interim measures for vacancy assignments will be in place until that date.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 602.6302, 602.6401, 602.6404