Bill Text: IA HJR13 | 2011-2012 | 84th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to the term of office of supreme court justices and district judges.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 5-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-01-11 - Subcommittee, Hagenow, Baltimore, and R. Olson. H.J. 71. [HJR13 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2011-HJR13-Introduced.html
House
Joint
Resolution
13
-
Introduced
HOUSE
JOINT
RESOLUTION
13
BY
ALONS
,
SHAW
,
PEARSON
,
CHAMBERS
,
and
DE
BOEF
HOUSE
JOINT
RESOLUTION
A
Joint
Resolution
proposing
an
amendment
to
the
Constitution
1
of
the
State
of
Iowa
relating
to
the
term
of
office
of
2
supreme
court
justices
and
district
judges.
3
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
OF
THE
STATE
OF
IOWA:
4
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H.J.R.
13
Section
1.
The
following
amendment
to
the
Constitution
of
1
the
State
of
Iowa
is
proposed:
2
Section
17
of
Article
V
of
the
Constitution
of
the
State
of
3
Iowa
is
repealed
beginning
January
1,
2015,
and
the
following
4
adopted
in
lieu
thereof:
5
Terms
——
judicial
elections.
SEC.
17.
Members
of
all
courts
6
shall
have
such
tenure
in
office
as
may
be
fixed
by
law,
but
7
regular
terms
of
supreme
court
judges
and
regular
terms
of
8
district
court
judges
shall
be
not
less
than
six
years.
Judges
9
shall
serve
an
initial
term
for
one
year
after
appointment
and
10
until
the
first
day
of
January
following
the
next
judicial
11
election
after
the
expiration
of
such
year.
They
shall
at
such
12
judicial
election
stand
for
retention
in
office
on
a
separate
13
ballot
which
shall
submit
the
question
of
whether
such
judge
14
shall
be
retained
in
office
for
the
tenure
prescribed
for
15
such
office
and
when
such
tenure
is
a
term
of
years,
on
their
16
request,
they
shall,
at
the
judicial
election
next
before
the
17
end
of
the
regular
term,
stand
again
for
retention
on
such
18
ballot
for
one
succeeding
regular
term.
At
the
end
of
the
19
succeeding
regular
term
such
office
shall
become
vacant,
and
20
a
new
judge
appointed.
21
Present
supreme
court
and
district
court
judges,
at
the
22
expiration
of
their
respective
terms,
may
be
retained
in
23
office,
beginning
with
the
judicial
election
in
2016,
in
like
24
manner
for
the
new
tenure
prescribed
for
such
office.
Present
25
supreme
court
and
district
court
judges
may
stand
for
retention
26
one
time
for
such
office
after
the
judicial
election
in
2016,
27
and
at
the
end
of
that
regular
term
such
office
shall
become
28
vacant,
and
a
new
judge
appointed.
However,
if
a
present
judge
29
has
never
been
on
the
ballot
for
such
office
as
of
January
1,
30
2015,
the
judge
may
stand
for
retention
two
times
beginning
31
with
the
judicial
election
in
2016.
The
general
assembly
shall
32
prescribe
the
time
for
holding
judicial
elections.
33
Sec.
2.
REFERRAL
AND
PUBLICATION.
The
foregoing
proposed
34
amendment
to
the
Constitution
of
the
State
of
Iowa
is
referred
35
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H.J.R.
13
to
the
general
assembly
to
be
chosen
at
the
next
general
1
election
for
members
of
the
general
assembly,
and
the
secretary
2
of
state
is
directed
to
cause
the
proposed
amendment
to
be
3
published
for
three
consecutive
months
previous
to
the
date
of
4
that
election
as
provided
by
law.
5
EXPLANATION
6
This
joint
resolution
relates
to
the
terms
of
office
7
for
supreme
court
justices
and
district
judges
under
the
8
Constitution
of
the
State
of
Iowa.
9
The
resolution
requires
each
supreme
court
justice
to
be
10
retained
in
office
every
six
years
after
serving
an
initial
11
term
of
office
of
up
to
two
years.
The
constitution
currently
12
requires
each
justice
of
the
supreme
court
to
be
retained
in
13
office
every
eight
years
after
serving
an
initial
term
of
14
office
of
up
to
two
years.
The
resolution
does
not
affect
the
15
length
of
a
regular
term
of
office
for
a
district
judge.
16
The
resolution
provides
that
a
supreme
court
justice
or
a
17
district
judge
shall
not
serve
more
than
one
regular
term
of
18
office
and
one
succeeding
regular
term
of
office
for
the
office
19
of
appointment
beginning
with
the
judicial
election
in
2016.
20
The
resolution
also
provides
that
a
current
supreme
court
21
justice
or
district
judge
may
stand
for
retention
one
time
for
22
such
office
after
the
judicial
election
in
2016,
then
such
23
office
shall
become
vacant,
and
a
new
judge
appointed,
unless
24
the
judge
has
never
been
on
the
ballot
for
such
office
as
of
25
January
1,
2015,
in
such
case
the
judge
may
stand
for
retention
26
two
times
beginning
with
the
judicial
election
in
2016.
27
The
resolution
is
silent,
as
is
the
current
Iowa
28
Constitution,
regarding
the
nomination
and
appointment
of
29
judges
of
the
court
of
appeals.
30
The
resolution
if
adopted,
would
be
referred
to
the
next
31
general
assembly
(Eighty-fifth)
for
adoption
a
second
time
32
before
the
amendment
is
submitted
to
the
electorate
for
33
ratification.
34
The
amendment,
if
adopted
and
ratified
by
the
electorate,
35
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