Iowa Code § 602.9203 — IA Code / Title XV / Chapter 602 / Section 602.9203
Senior judgeship requirements — appointment and term.
Status: in_force

(1) A supreme court judge, court of appeals judge, district judge, district associate judge, full-time associate juvenile judge, or full-time associate probate judge, who qualifies under subsection 2 may become a senior judge by filing with the clerk of the supreme court a written election in the form specified by the supreme court. The election shall be filed within six months of the date of retirement.

(2) A judicial officer referred to in subsection 1 may be appointed, at the discretion of the supreme court, for a two-year term as a senior judge if the judicial officer meets all of the following requirements:

(2) (a) Retires from office on or after July 1, 1977, whether or not the judicial officer is of mandatory retirement age.

(2) (b) Meets the minimum requirements for entitlement to an annuity as specified in section 602.9106. However, a judge who elects to retire prior to attaining the age of sixty-five and who has not had twenty years of consecutive service, may serve as a senior judge, but shall not be paid an annuity pursuant to section 602.9204 until attaining age sixty-five.

(2) (c) Agrees in writing on a form prescribed by the supreme court to be available as long as the judicial officer is a senior judge to perform judicial duties as assigned by the supreme court for an aggregate period of thirteen weeks out of each successive twelve-month period.

(2) (d) Submits evidence to the satisfaction of the supreme court that as of the date of retirement the judicial officer does not suffer from a permanent physical or mental disability which would substantially interfere with the performance of duties agreed to under paragraph “c” of this subsection.

(2) (e) Submits evidence to the satisfaction of the supreme court that since the date of retirement the judicial officer has not engaged in the practice of law.

(3) The clerk of the supreme court shall maintain a book entitled “Roster of Senior Judges”, and shall enter in the book the name of each judicial officer who files a timely election under subsection 1 and qualifies under subsection 2. A person shall be a senior judge upon entry of the person’s name in the roster of senior judges and until the person becomes a retired senior judge as provided in section 602.9207, or until the person’s name is stricken from the roster of senior judges as provided in section 602.9208, or until the person dies.

(4) The supreme court shall cause each senior judge on the roster to actually perform judicial duties during each successive twelve-month period.

(5) (a) A senior judge may be reappointed to additional two-year terms, at the discretion of the supreme court, if the judicial officer meets the requirements of subsection 2.

(5) (b) A senior judge may be reappointed to a one-year term upon attaining eighty-four years of age and to a succeeding one-year term, at the discretion of the supreme court, if the judicial officer meets the requirements of subsection 2.

[C81, §605A.23]83 Acts, ch 186, §10202(2)CS83, §602.920385 Acts, ch 94, §1, 2; 89 Acts, ch 162, §1; 95 Acts, ch 145, §1, 22002 Acts, ch 1135, §57; 2006 Acts, ch 1091, §22; 2008 Acts, ch 1191, §150; 2011 Acts, ch 78, §6 – 8; 2025 Acts, ch 101, §13, 15