Iowa Code Title XV. Judicial Branch and Judicial Procedures [Chs. 595-686] § 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 election district. The formula shall be based upon a model that measures and applies an estimated case-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 judge appointed pursuant to section 602.6302 or 602.6307 shall not be counted for purposes of this section and the reduction of a district associate judge pursuant to section 602.6303 also shall not 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 retained in office at the judicial election, or an increase in judgeships under the formula prescribed in subsection 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 judges in all judicial election districts within the judicial district equals or exceeds the aggregate number of judgeships to which all of the judicial election districts of the judicial district are authorized 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 in subsection 1.