§ 602.6301

602.6301 Number and apportionment of district associate judges. 1. The supreme court shall prescribe, subject to the restrictions of this section, a formula to determine the number of district associate judges who will serve in each judicial electiondistrict. The formula shall be based upon a model that measures and applies an estimatedcase-related workload formula of judicial officers, and shall account for administrative duties,travel time, and other judicial duties not related to a specific case. A district associate judgeappointed pursuant to section 602.6302 or 602.6307 shall not be counted for purposes of thissection and the reduction of a district associate judge pursuant to section 602.6303 also shallnot be counted for purposes of this section. 2. For purposes of this section, 'vacancy' means the death, resignation, retirement, or removal of a district associate judge, or the failure of a district associate judge to be retainedin office at the judicial election, or an increase in judgeships under the formula prescribed insubsection 1. 3. In those judicial election districts having more district associate judges than the number of judgeships specified by the formula

ncrease in judgeships under the formula prescribed insubsection 1. 3. In those judicial election districts having more district associate judges than the number of judgeships specified by the formula prescribed in subsection 1, vacancies shall not be filled. 4. In those judicial election districts having fewer or the same number of district associate judges as the number of judgeships specified by the formula prescribed in subsection 1,vacancies shall be filled as the vacancies occur. 5. In those judicial districts that contain more than one judicial election district, a vacancy in a judicial election district shall not be filled if the total number of district associate judgesin all judicial election districts within the judicial district equals or exceeds the aggregatenumber of judgeships to which all of the judicial election districts of the judicial district areauthorized by the formula in subsection 1. 6. An incumbent district associate judge shall not be removed from office because of a reduction in the number of authorized judgeships specified by the formula prescribed insubsection 1.

bsection 1. 6. An incumbent district associate judge shall not be removed from office because of a reduction in the number of authorized judgeships specified by the formula prescribed insubsection 1. 83 Acts, ch 186, §7301, 10201; 94 Acts, ch 1127, §2; 96 Acts, ch 1068, §1; 98 Acts, ch 1047, §58; 98 Acts, ch 1115, §12; 2003 Acts, ch 151, §40; 2006 Acts, ch 1060, §1; 2023 Acts, ch 114,§6 Referred to in §602.6113, 602.6304Section amended Sat Dec 23 11:16:07 2023 Iowa Code 2024, Section 602.6301 (25, 2)