Senate
File
171
-
Introduced
SENATE
FILE
171
BY
GARRETT
A
BILL
FOR
An
Act
relating
to
the
membership
of
district
judicial
1
nominating
commissions.
2
BE
IT
ENACTED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
3
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1631XS
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90
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S.F.
171
Section
1.
Section
46.3,
subsections
1
and
3,
Code
2023,
are
1
amended
to
read
as
follows:
2
1.
The
governor
shall
appoint
five
six
eligible
electors
3
of
each
judicial
election
district
to
the
district
judicial
4
nominating
commission.
5
3.
No
more
than
a
simple
majority
half
of
the
commissioners
6
appointed
shall
be
of
the
same
gender.
7
Sec.
2.
Section
46.6,
subsection
2,
Code
2023,
is
amended
8
to
read
as
follows:
9
2.
The
judge
of
longest
service
in
the
district
shall
serve
10
as
the
chair
of
a
particular
district
judicial
nominating
11
commission.
If
the
judges
of
longest
service
in
the
district
12
are
of
equal
service,
the
eldest
of
such
judges
shall
be
13
chairperson
of
the
particular
judicial
nominating
commission
14
commissioners
of
the
district
judicial
nominating
commission
15
shall
elect
a
chairperson
from
their
own
number
.
The
16
chairperson
shall
serve
a
two-year
term
that
expires
on
April
17
30
of
even-numbered
years.
A
commissioner
may
be
reelected
18
for
a
second
or
third
term
as
chairperson.
If
a
chairperson
19
of
a
judicial
nominating
commission
desires
to
be
relieved
20
of
the
duties
of
chairperson
while
retaining
the
status
of
21
commissioner,
the
chairperson
shall
notify
the
governor
and
the
22
other
commissioners
of
the
commission.
At
the
next
meeting
of
23
the
commission,
the
commissioners
shall
elect
a
new
chairperson
24
for
the
remainder
of
the
two-year
term.
25
EXPLANATION
26
The
inclusion
of
this
explanation
does
not
constitute
agreement
with
27
the
explanation’s
substance
by
the
members
of
the
general
assembly.
28
This
bill
relates
to
the
membership
of
district
judicial
29
nominating
commissions.
Under
current
law,
the
governor
30
appoints
five
eligible
electors
of
each
judicial
district
to
31
the
11-person
commission.
The
bill
changes
the
amount
of
32
electors
appointed
by
the
governor
to
six
and
provides
that
no
33
more
than
half
of
the
commissioners
appointed
shall
be
of
the
34
same
gender,
rather
than
a
simple
majority.
35
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171
Under
current
law,
the
most
senior
judge
in
the
district
1
serves
as
a
commissioner
and
as
the
chairperson
of
that
2
particular
district
judicial
nominating
commission.
The
3
bill
removes
the
judge
from
the
commission
and
from
being
4
chairperson
and
requires
the
members
of
each
district
judicial
5
nominating
commission
to
elect
a
chairperson
from
their
own
6
number.
7
District
judicial
nominating
commissions
are
responsible
8
for
screening
applicants
and
selecting
nominees
for
district
9
court
judicial
vacancies.
There
is
a
nominating
commission
for
10
each
of
Iowa’s
14
judicial
election
subdistricts.
District
11
nominating
commissions
provide
the
governor
with
a
slate
of
12
two
nominees
from
which
to
make
an
appointment
to
the
district
13
court.
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