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Iowa’s chief justice calls on lawmakers to raise judge salaries and address lack of court-appointe

Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen addressed state lawmakers in the House chamber. It's her fifth Condition of the Judiciary address as the state’s top judge.
Madeleine Charis King
/
Iowa Public Radio
Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen addressed state lawmakers in the House chamber. It's her fifth Condition of the Judiciary address as the state’s top judge.

Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen proposed plans for reducing the number of magistrates in the state and raising judge salaries in her fifth Condition of the Judiciary address Wednesday morning. She also urged legislators to address the state's shortage of court-appointed attorneys.

Christensen began her speech in the House Chamber of the Iowa State Capitol by recounting her past speech’s themes of hope, peace, listening and building connections, and thanking legislators for fixing judicial pensions and providing a 5% cost of living pay raise to judges and magistrates.

Christensen said the theme for this year’s speech is “commitment.” She said Iowa courts must remain “accessible, efficient and fair” and asked lawmakers to provide the necessary resources to help the courts carry out their duties.

The chief justice said 78% of civil cases, not including small claims cases, included people who were representing themselves. She pointed out that Iowa remains a legal desert, ranking 44th according to the American Bar Association for attorneys per capita.

Christensen did not address the IT error that the state auditor's office said is responsible for sending $27.5 million in court debt collections to the wrong state funds.

Reducing magistrates

Christensen said the judicial branch has introduced online resources for people who are representing themselves in court, such as interactive features to help users fill out forms and a legal information library. And, she said, digital changes — such as electronic search warrants, online filings and remote hearings — have helped make the court system more efficient.

She proposed the state reduce the number of magistrates required by statute to make the system more efficient. Magistrates function as part-time judicial officers who, unlike judges, are allowed to practice law outside of their duties.

Currently, Iowa Code mandates one magistrate per county with an estimated 31% of their work being devoted to magistrate work. She said magistrates’ workloads in 75 counties fall below the 31% level and eight are above.

The judicial branch could assign magistrates to cover multiple counties, she said, which could help distribute workloads more evenly and save taxpayers $2 million annually.

“I’m not saying we don’t need magistrates,” Christensen said. “I don't want to see that in the paper. We absolutely do. They play a crucial role in the Judiciary. However, we must ensure that our resources are being used wisely and effectively.”

Raising salaries of judges

Christensen said addressing judicial pay must remain a “regular and ongoing commitment.”

The chief justice said even after last year’s pay raises and taking into account inflation, Iowa district court judges are earning 16.5% less than they did 15 years ago. Iowa ranks 41st nationally in terms of pay for magistrates and judges, she said.

Iowa ranks 41st nationally in terms of pay for magistrates and judges, according to Chief Justice Christensen.

Christensen proposed to legislators what she calls “The Kansas Plan” for increasing judge salaries over a four year period. The plan would raise the salaries of Iowa district court judges to 75% of a U.S. district judge salary, or $193,644, by the end of the four-year period. The pay of other classes of judges would also increase since it is calculated based on a percentage of the state district court judge's salary.

In a letter to the Iowa Legislature, the judicial branch requested an additional $2.8 million for appropriations to the program this fiscal year.

“If judicial salaries remain uncompetitive, we risk attracting a pool of applicants who may not have the right qualifications or proper temperament to serve effectively,” Christensen said. “This could lead to rulings that are inconsistent or poorly grounded in the law, which ultimately undermines confidence in our courts.”

Addressing the shortage of court-appointed attorneys

Christensen also called on lawmakers to address the shortage of court-appointed attorneys across the state.

“If a criminal defendant isn’t provided court-appointed counsel, critical deadlines may be missed and the case could fall apart, allowing the defendant to avoid prosecution entirely,” she said. “It’s that plain and simple.”

In fiscal year 2024, there were 535 contract attorneys — that's around half of the 1,018 there were in the 2015 fiscal year.

Christensen said shortages lead to defendants sitting in jail longer than necessary and could mean they are not granted their constitutional right to a speedy trial. The shortage also impacts juveniles in child welfare and delinquency cases, which can be resource intensive and span months.

“Without a healthy stable of contract attorneys, we cannot adequately protect the fundamental rights, well-being and safety of our most vulnerable population,” Christensen said.

Christensen thanked attorneys across the state who have taken on contract cases, and acknowledged they often feel “overwhelmed and burned out” and “undervalued” with low wages.

“Contract attorneys are crucial to the system, yet they find themselves caught in a relentless tug of war — feeling undervalued because of low compensation while struggling against the pressure to keep going,” Christensen said, adding that the state needs to “throw these attorneys a life ring.”

"Without a healthy stable of contract attorneys, we cannot adequately protect the fundamental rights, well-being and safety of our most vulnerable population." Chief Justice Susan Christensen
Chief Justice Susan Christensen

In a letter to legislators, the judicial branch said it supports efforts to increase funding for indigent defense across the state. The chief justice acknowledged the state public defender’s work in making positions more attractive but said Iowa’s low rate for court-appointed work has made recruiting difficult.

“These clients of contract attorneys are by no means powerful people,” she said. “They aren’t an organized group of individuals. They don’t have well-connected lobbyists walking the halls of our Capitol. Oftentimes, the situation which led to their involvement in the judicial system makes them neither sympathetic nor even likeable.”

Supporting children and families in the courts

Christensen also underscored the state’s need to support vulnerable youth across the state who have experienced abuse and neglect. She recounted stories from juvenile court judges across Iowa’s judicial districts, including a young girl who was sexually abused by her mom’s boyfriend and whose mom did not believe her. She begged her mom “choose me” in court.

Christensen highlighted the work of the Youth Justice Council, a subcommittee of Iowa’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Council made up of people ages 16 to 28 who have had experience in Iowa’s juvenile justice system.

She also pointed out the Talking Wall project, a program where youth in shelters and various parts of the juvenile justice system can leave sticky note responses answering prompts about their experiences.

Christensen said one of the project’s questions was, “What do you need that you’re not currently getting?” It prompted responses such as “bigger portions of food,” music and games, and other legal concerns such as “to see my attorney before court,” “more time to speak in court” and “more court hearings.”

“Those heartfelt sticky notes are a powerful reminder of the responsibility we have,” she said. “They compel me to remain committed to truly listening to what they have to say, to being their voice once their wishes are known and to doing everything in my power to ensure their needs are met."

The chief justice announced she will also hold office hours at the Capitol every week starting Jan. 27.

Copyright 2025 Iowa Public Radio News

Isabella Luu