602.6302  Appointment of district associate judge in lieu of magistrates.
  1.  The chief judge of the judicial district may designate by order of substitution that a district associate judge be appointed pursuant to this section in lieu of magistrates appointed under section 602.6403, subject to the following limitations:
  a.  The county in which the district associate judge is to be appointed, or the counties in which the district associate judge is to be appointed in combination, must have an apportionment of three or more magistrates.
  b.  The substitution must not result in a lack of a resident district associate judge or magistrate in one or more of the counties.
  c.  The substitution must be approved by the supreme court.
  d.  A majority of district judges in that judicial election district, or in the case of an appointment involving more than one judicial election district in the same judicial district, a majority of the district judges in each judicial election district, must vote in favor of the substitution and find that the substitution will provide more timely and efficient performance of judicial business within that judicial election district.
  2.  An order of substitution shall not take effect unless a copy of the order is received by the chairperson of the county magistrate appointing commission or commissions and the governor no later than May 31 of the year in which the substitution is to take effect. A copy of the order shall also be sent to the state court administrator.
  3.  For a county in which a substitution order is in effect, the number of magistrates actually appointed pursuant to section 602.6403 shall be reduced by three for each district associate judge substituted under this section. However, if the substitution order is for a district associate judge appointed to more than one county, the reduction of three magistrates shall be as provided in the order of the chief judge of the judicial district. Upon a subsequent reduction in the apportionment of magistrates to the county or counties, the magistrate appointing commission shall further reduce the number of magistrates appointed.
  4.  a.  Except as provided in subsections 1 through 3, a substitution shall not increase or decrease the number of magistrates authorized by this article.
  b.  A substitution shall not be made where the apportionment of magistrates to a county is insufficient to permit the full reduction in appointments of magistrates as required by subsection 3.
  5.  If an apportionment by the state court administrator pursuant to section 602.6401 reduces the number of magistrates in the county or counties to less than the number required to be apportioned to allow a substitution order pursuant to subsection 1, or if a majority of the district judges in the judicial election district or districts determines that a substitution is no longer desirable, then the substituted office shall be terminated. However, a reversion pursuant to this subsection, irrespective of cause, shall not take effect until the substitute district associate judge fails to be retained in office at a judicial election or otherwise leaves office, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Upon the termination of office of that district associate judge, appointments shall be made pursuant to section 602.6403 as necessary to reestablish terms of office as provided in section 602.6403, subsection 4.
83 Acts, ch 186, §7302, 10201; 86 Acts, ch 1015, §1 – 3; 89 Acts, ch 114, §1; 2022 Acts, ch 1033, §5
Referred to in §602.6113, 602.6301, 602.6304, 602.6402, 602.6403
Subsection 2 amended