Your feedback ensures we stay focused on the facts that matter to you most—take our survey.
Courts in Iowa
| More information on Iowa's state courts: |
|---|
| Selection methods Elections Salaries Federal courts |
In Iowa, there are two federal district courts, a state supreme court, a state court of appeals, and trial courts with both general and limited jurisdiction. These courts serve different purposes, which are outlined in the sections below.
Click a link for information about that court type.
The image below depicts the flow of cases through Iowa's state court system. Cases typically originate in the trial courts and can be appealed to courts higher up in the system.
Judicial selection process
- See also: Iowa judicial elections and Judicial selection in Iowa
Selection of state court judges in Iowa occurs via merit selection. Under the merit system, a nonpartisan commission of Iowans reviews nominees' credentials and then nominates individuals to the governor for final selection. Judges of the Iowa Supreme Court, Iowa Court of Appeals, and Iowa District Courts are all appointed by the governor with help from a nominating commission. For supreme court justices, the state judicial nominating commission nominates three individuals. For court of appeals judges, the state judicial nominating commission chooses five people to nominate. For district judges, district-based nominating commissions nominate two individuals.[1] This process is also known as gubernatorial appointment with a nominating commission (also referred to as the Missouri Plan). In Iowa, all judicial nominees must be a licensed attorney in the state.[1]
Newly appointed judges serve for one year after their appointment; they must then compete in a yes-no retention election (occurring during the regularly scheduled general election) if they wish to remain on the court.[1][2]
Term lengths vary by court, as does the process for selecting the chief justice or judge. The judges of the Iowa Supreme Court serve eight-year terms. The judges of the Iowa Court of Appeals and Iowa District Courts serve six-year terms.[3][4]
When a vacancy occurs on the supreme court, the commission submits a list of three potential nominees to the governor, who appoints one to serve as a judge. When a vacancy occurs on the court of appeals, the commission submits a list of five nominees to the governor, who appoints one to serve as a judge. For district court vacancies, the commission submits two potential nominees to the governor, who appoints one to serve as a judge.[1][5]
To read more about judicial elections in Iowa, click here.
Federal courts
The federal district courts in Iowa are the:
- United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
- United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa
Appeals from these districts go to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit.
Active judges
Northern District
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 12, 2016 - |
University of Iowa, 1987 |
University of Iowa Law, 1990 |
||
| September 10, 2018 - |
University of Iowa, 1985 |
University of Iowa Law, 1988 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 1
- Republican appointed: 1
Southern District
| Judge | Appointed By | Assumed Office | Bachelors | Law |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 17, 2012 - |
University of Iowa, 1994 |
University of Iowa Law, 1996 |
||
| February 16, 2016 - |
Georgetown University, 1997 |
Yale Law School, 2004 |
||
| July 18, 2022 - |
University of Notre Dame, 2000 |
Harvard Law School, 2003 |
The list below displays the number of active judges by the party of the appointing president. It does not reflect how a judge may rule on specific cases or their own political preferences.
- Democratic appointed: 3
- Republican appointed: 0
District map
Judicial selection
Judges who sit on the federal district courts are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the United States Senate. These judges serve life terms. To read more about the judges on these courts, click here.
Bankruptcy courts
There are two federal bankruptcy courts in Iowa. These courts have subject-matter jurisdiction over bankruptcy cases. The federal bankruptcy courts in Iowa are:
- United States bankruptcy court, Northern District of Iowa
- United States bankruptcy court, Southern District of Iowa
State supreme court
- See also: Iowa Supreme Court
| Iowa Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1846 |
| Location: Des Moines |
| Salary |
| Associates: $196,692[6] |
| Judicial Selection |
| Method: Assisted appointment (governor-controlled commission) |
| Term: 8 years |
| Active justices |
| Susan Christensen, Edward Mansfield, David May, Matthew McDermott, Christopher McDonald, Dana Oxley, Thomas Waterman |
Founded in 1846, the Iowa Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Susan Christensen. As of September 2022, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor.
The state supreme court meets in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines, Iowa.[7]
In Iowa, state supreme court justices are selected through assisted appointment with a governor-controlled judicial nominating commission. Justices are appointed by the governor with the assistance of a commission with a majority of members selected by the governor. There are 10 states that use this selection method. To read more about the assisted appointment of judges, click here.
The Iowa Supreme Court is an appellate court, hearing appeals from trial courts. They do so by reviewing written records from the trial court to determine whether a significant legal error occurred.[8] The supreme court is responsible for providing rules for transfer of civil or criminal appeals to the court of appeals. The court is also responsible for prescribing rules for the supreme court to review decisions by the court of appeals.[9]
The table below lists the current judges of the Iowa Supreme Court and the appointing governor.
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office | Appointed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Supreme Court | Susan Christensen | Nonpartisan | 2018 | Kim Reynolds (R) |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Edward Mansfield | Nonpartisan | 2011 | Terry E. Branstad (R) |
| Iowa Supreme Court | David May | Nonpartisan | August 19, 2022 | Kim Reynolds (R) |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Matthew McDermott | Nonpartisan | April 3, 2020 | Kim Reynolds (R) |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Christopher McDonald | Nonpartisan | April 5, 2019 | Kim Reynolds (R) |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Dana Oxley | Nonpartisan | February 24, 2020 | Kim Reynolds (R) |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Thomas Waterman | Nonpartisan | 2011 | Terry E. Branstad (R) |
State court of appeals
- See also: Iowa Court of Appeals
The Iowa Court of Appeals, composed of nine judges, is the intermediate appellate court in Iowa. The court hears cases assigned to it by the Iowa Supreme Court and reviews appeals from the trial courts in the state. Most of the appeals filed in Iowa are heard by the Iowa Court of Appeals, and its decisions are final unless granted further review by the Iowa Supreme Court.[4]
A court of appeals judge serves an initial one-year term following their appointment to the court that ends on January 1 after the next judicial retention election and the expiration of the term. For retained justices, the regular term of office is six years. The mandatory retirement age is 72. A retired justice may serve as a senior judge if the state supreme court assigns them to the post. Every two years, the court of appeals judges elect the new chief judge.[10]
The following judges sit on the court:
| Judge | Tenure | Appointed By |
|---|---|---|
|
June 9, 2010 - Present |
Chet Culver |
|
|
August 7, 2021 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
2019 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
December 25, 2019 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
2019 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
August 2, 2024 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
January 14, 2022 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
October 26, 2022 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
|
|
August 10, 2023 - Present |
Kim Reynolds |
Trial courts
District courts
- See also: Iowa District Courts
The Iowa District Courts are trial courts in Iowa. There is one district court in each of Iowa's 99 counties. The counties are grouped into eight judicial districts. Each district has a chief judge who is selected by the Iowa Supreme Court. District judges have general jurisdiction over civil, criminal, juvenile, and probate matters in Iowa. Associate and magistrate judges have limited jurisdiction.[11][12]
Rulings of the district court may be appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court. Small claims rulings issued by associate or magistrate judges are appealed to a district judge.[12]
Juvenile court
The juvenile court holds special jurisdiction and authority over certain cases involving the lives of children, including cases of children in need of assistance and delinquency cases.[13]
In other states
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Iowa Judicial Branch, "Merit Selection," accessed April 2, 2023
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Iowa," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Justices," accessed April 10, 2023
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Iowa Judicial Branch, "Judges," accessed April 10, 2023
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Nominating Commissions, "State Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed March 10, 2021
- ↑ The salary of the chief justice may be higher than an associate justice.
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court," accessed September 17, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch,"Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ The Iowa Legislature,"602.4102 Jurisdiction," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namediacjudges - ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "District court," accessed March 10, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedguide - ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Juvenile Court," accessed March 10, 2021
Federal courts:
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa
State courts:
Iowa Supreme Court • Iowa Court of Appeals • Iowa district courts
State resources:
Courts in Iowa • Iowa judicial elections • Judicial selection in Iowa
| |||||||
