Relating to the membership of district judicial nominating commissions

This bill relates to the membership of district judicial nominating commissions. Under current law, the governor appoints five eligible electors of each judicial district to the 11-person commission. The bill changes the amount of electors appointed by the governor to six and provides that no more than half of the commissioners appointed shall be of the same gender, rather than a simple majority. Under current law, the most senior judge in the district serves as a commissioner and as the chairperson of that particular district judicial nominating commission. The bill removes the judge from the commission and from being chairperson and requires the members of each district judicial nominating commission to elect a chairperson from their own number. District judicial nominating commissions are responsible for screening applicants and selecting nominees for district court judicial vacancies. There is a nominating commission for each of Iowa’s judicial election subdistricts. District nominating commissions provide the governor with a slate of two nominees from which to make an appointment to the district court.