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 removes the restriction on appointing more magistrates than authorized for a county and mandates the supreme court to establish a new formula for apportioning magistrates based on estimated case-related workloads.

Furthermore, the bill introduces provisions for handling magistrate vacancies until January 1, 2029, 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, provided the combined workload does not exceed 31 percent of a full-time position. It also changes the residency requirement for magistrates, stating they must reside within the judicial election district or in a contiguous county, rather than the county of appointment. These changes are set to take effect on January 1, 2029.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 602.6302, 602.6401, 602.6404