SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 11

BY  FEENSTRA

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

A Joint Resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the political party affiliations of the membership of the state judicial nominating commission and district judicial nominating commissions.

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:

   Section 1.  The following amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa is proposed:
   Section 16, unnumbered paragraph 3, of Article V of the Constitution of the State of Iowa, as added by the Amendment of 1962, is amended beginning July 1, 2015, to read as follows:
   Due consideration shall be given to area representation in the appointment and election of judicial nominating commission members. Appointive and elective members of judicial nominating commissions shall serve for six-year terms, shall be ineligible for a second six-year term on the same commission, shall hold no office of profit of the United States or of the state during their terms, shall be chosen without reference to political affiliation, and shall have such other qualifications as may be prescribed by law. No more than a simple majority of the members appointed or of the members elected shall belong to the same political party. As near as may be, the terms of one-third of such members shall expire every two years.
   Sec. 2.
  REFERRAL AND PUBLICATION.
  The foregoing amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa is referred to the general assembly to be chosen at the next general election for members of the general assembly, and the secretary of state is directed to cause the same to be published for three consecutive months previous to the date of that election as provided by law.
EXPLANATION
   This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the political affiliation of the membership of the state judicial nominating commission and district judicial nominating commissions.
   The resolution specifies that the membership of the state judicial nominating commission and the district judicial nominating commissions shall not consist of more than a simple majority from the same political party. The membership of these commissions consists of an equal number of members appointed by the governor and members elected by the bar. The most senior judge of each judicial district also serves on that district judicial nominating commission and the most senior justice, other than the chief justice, serves on the state judicial nominating commission.
   The state judicial nominating commission nominates persons for appointment by the governor to the supreme court and court of appeals and each district judicial nominating commission nominates persons for appointment by the governor to the district court bench.
   The resolution, if adopted, would be referred to the next general assembly (Eighty-fifth) for adoption before the amendment is submitted to the electorate for ratification.