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 or magistrate serving in more than one county. The bill also mandates the supreme court to develop a new formula for determining the number of magistrates based on an estimated case-related workload, which will replace the previous method of apportionment. Additionally, it removes the prohibition on appointing more magistrates than authorized for a county and changes the residency requirement for magistrates to be a resident of the judicial election district or a contiguous county.

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. The bill also outlines the procedures for appointing magistrates, including the requirement for joint nominations from the county magistrate appointing commissions when a magistrate serves multiple counties. These changes are set to take effect on January 1, 2029.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 602.6302, 602.6401, 602.6404