Senate Study Bill 1044 - Introduced SENATE/HOUSE FILE _____ BY (PROPOSED JUDICIAL BRANCH BILL) A BILL FOR An Act relating to the appointment and removal of clerks of the 1 district court. 2 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 3 TLSB 1165XD (4) 85 rh/rj
S.F. _____ H.F. _____ Section 1. Section 602.1215, subsection 1, Code 2013, is 1 amended to read as follows: 2 1. Subject to the provisions of section 602.1209, 3 subsection 3 , the district judges of each chief judge of 4 the judicial election district , after consultation with the 5 district judges of the judicial district, shall by majority 6 vote appoint persons to serve as clerks of the district court 7 within the judicial election district. The district judges of 8 a judicial election district chief judge may appoint a person 9 to serve as clerk of the district court for more than one but 10 not more than four contiguous counties in the same judicial 11 district. A person does not qualify for appointment to the 12 office of clerk of the district court unless the person is at 13 the time of application a resident of the state. A clerk of 14 the district court may be removed from office for cause by a 15 majority vote of the district judges of the chief judge of 16 the judicial election district. Before Prior to removal, the 17 clerk of the district court shall be notified of the cause for 18 removal. 19 EXPLANATION 20 This bill relates to the appointment of the clerks of the 21 district court. 22 Under current law, a clerk of the district court is appointed 23 and may be removed by a majority vote of all district judges in 24 the judicial election district. The state court administrator 25 must approve the appointment. 26 The bill changes the method by which the clerk of the 27 district court is appointed. The amendment permits the chief 28 judge of each judicial district to appoint the clerks of the 29 district court in the judicial district after consultation with 30 the district judges of the judicial district. The amendment 31 also permits the chief judge to remove clerks of the district 32 court for cause. 33 -1- LSB 1165XD (4) 85 rh/rj 1/ 1