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Iowa Court of Appeals
| Iowa Court of Appeals | |||
 | |||
| Court information | |||
| Judges: | 9 | ||
| Salary: | Associates: $178,253[1] | ||
| Judicial selection | |||
| Method: | Assisted appointment | ||
| Term: | 6 years | ||
| Published opinions | |||
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.
Judges
| 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 |
Senior judges
- Thomas N. Bower
- Gayle Vogel
- Amanda Potterfield
- Richard Doyle
- Michael R. Mullins
- Patrick Carr
- John D. Telleen
Judicial selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Iowa
The nine justices on the Iowa Court of Appeals are selected through the assisted appointment method. When a vacancy occurs on the court of appeals, the State Judicial Nominating Commission submits a list of five potential nominees to the governor, who appoints one to serve as a judge.
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. They then serve six-year terms.[2]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[2]
- licensed to practice law in the state;
- a member of the Iowa bar;
- a resident of the state, district, or county to which they are appointed; and
- under the age of 72.
Note: Retirement at 72 is mandatory, though older judges may apply to become a senior judge. Senior judges must work a minimum of 13 weeks a year and are to receive a monthly retirement annuity and an annual stipend. They must retire at age 78 (or 80, if reappointed by the supreme court for additional one-year terms).[3]
Chief judge
The chief judge of the court of appeals is elected by peer vote and serves a two-year term.[2]
Vacancies
If a midterm vacancy occurs on the court, the seat is filled as it normally would be if the vacancy occurred at the end of a judge's term. A judicial nominating commission recommends qualified candidates to the governor and the governor selects a successor from that list. The new appointee serves for at least one year and then stands for retention.[4]
Elections
2024
The terms of four Iowa intermediate appellate court judges expired on December 31, 2024. The four seats were up for retention election on November 5, 2024. The filing deadline was July 24, 2024.
Candidates and results
Buller's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals, Tyler J. Buller's seat
Tyler Buller was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024 with 68.1% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
68.1
|
769,806 | ||
No |
31.9
|
361,356 | |||
Total Votes |
1,131,162 | ||||
|
|
Chicchelly's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals, Mary Chicchelly's seat
Mary Chicchelly was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024 with 69.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
69.3
|
785,925 | ||
No |
30.7
|
347,541 | |||
Total Votes |
1,133,466 | ||||
|
|
Langholz's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals, Samuel Langholz's seat
Samuel Langholz was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024 with 64.9% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
64.9
|
734,532 | ||
No |
35.1
|
397,742 | |||
Total Votes |
1,132,274 | ||||
|
|
Tabor's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals, Mary Tabor's seat
Mary Tabor was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 5, 2024 with 70.8% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
70.8
|
804,390 | ||
No |
29.2
|
331,159 | |||
Total Votes |
1,135,549 | ||||
|
|
2022
Candidates and results
Ahlers' seat
Iowa Court of Appeals, Paul Ahlers' seat
Paul B. Ahlers was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022 with 70.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
70.2
|
600,254 | ||
No |
29.8
|
255,318 | |||
Total Votes |
855,572 | ||||
|
|
Badding's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals, Gina Badding's seat
Gina Badding was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 8, 2022 with 70.7% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
70.7
|
602,581 | ||
No |
29.3
|
249,206 | |||
Total Votes |
851,787 | ||||
|
|
2020
Candidates and results
Bower's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals
Thomas N. Bower was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020 with 73.4% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
73.4
|
817,409 | ||
No |
26.6
|
295,628 | |||
Total Votes |
1,113,037 | ||||
|
|
May's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals
David May was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020 with 73.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
73.2
|
812,162 | ||
No |
26.8
|
297,854 | |||
Total Votes |
1,110,016 | ||||
|
|
Schumacher's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals
Julie Schumacher was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020 with 76.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
76.2
|
856,450 | ||
No |
23.8
|
267,699 | |||
Total Votes |
1,124,149 | ||||
|
|
Greer's seat
Iowa Court of Appeals
Sharon Soorholtz Greer was retained to the Iowa Court of Appeals on November 3, 2020 with 74.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
74.2
|
825,999 | ||
No |
25.8
|
287,186 | |||
Total Votes |
1,113,185 | ||||
|
|
2018
Candidates and results
Iowa Court of Appeals 2018 Retention election | |
|
|
| Office | Candidates |
| Anuradha Vaitheswaran's seat |
 Anuradha Vaitheswaran (i) |
| Mary Tabor's seat |
Mary Tabor (i) |
| Michael R. Mullins' seat |
Michael R. Mullins (i) |
2016
November general election results
Richard Doyle was retained in the Iowa Court of Appeals, Doyle's seat election with 70.11% of the vote.
| Iowa Court of Appeals, Doyle's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Richard Doyle | 70.11% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Amanda Potterfield was retained in the Iowa Court of Appeals, Potterfield's seat election with 70.75% of the vote.
| Iowa Court of Appeals, Potterfield's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Amanda Potterfield | 70.75% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Gayle Vogel was retained in the Iowa Court of Appeals, Vogel's seat election with 71.04% of the vote.
| Iowa Court of Appeals, Vogel's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Gayle Vogel | 71.04% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
David R. Danilson was retained in the Iowa Court of Appeals, Danilson's seat election with 69.81% of the vote.
| Iowa Court of Appeals, Danilson's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| David R. Danilson | 69.81% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
2014
Retention
| Judge | Election Vote |
|---|---|
| Christopher McDonald | 72.3%  |
| Thomas N. Bower | 72.2% |
2012
| Candidate | Incumbent | Retention vote: | Retention Vote % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anuradha Vaitheswaran | Yes | 724,621 | 69.86% |
| Mary Tabor | Yes | 809,274 | 76.95% |
| Michael R. Mullins | Yes | 800,302 | 76.65% |
Ethics
The Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Iowa. It consists of four overarching canons:
| “ |
|
” |
The full text of the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.
Removal of judges
Judges in Iowa may be removed in one of two ways:
- A judge may be removed via impeachment by a majority vote of the members of the Iowa House of Representatives and then a conviction by a two-thirds vote of the Iowa State Senate.
- The Iowa Judicial Qualification Commission hears allegations of misconducts, investigates, and then submits a recommendation to the Iowa Supreme Court that a judge be removed from the bench, disciplined, or retired.[7]
Noteworthy cases
| • One-punch murder conviction overturned (2015) | Click for summary→ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent Tyler punched Richard Daughenbaugh just one time after Daughenbaugh grabbed his arm. After that punch, however, the large group of people partying in the parking lot attacked Daughenbaugh, leaving him fatally injured. Tyler was convicted of second-degree murder, however, and was sentenced to 50 years in prison. At his sentencing, Tyler told the judge he punched Daughenbaugh in self defense and should not be held responsible for the actions of those around him. The Iowa Court of Appeals overturned Tyler's conviction, sending the case back to the district court for an acquittal to be entered.
Judge Amanda Potterfield wrote the majority opinion for the split three-judge panel. The opinion stated that one punch was not murder in this case as there was no evidence Tyler meant to incite his friends to attack Daughenbaugh.
Chief Judge David Danilson dissented from the majority, finding Tyler's punch to have been instigation for the attack. He pointed to a witness' testimony that the atmosphere appeared to be rife with tension. Therefore, Tyler could have known that the punch would lead to a more violent attack on Daughenbaugh. Articles: | |||||||
State profile
| Demographic data for Iowa | ||
|---|---|---|
| Iowa | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 3,121,997 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 55,857 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 91.2% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 3.2% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.3% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0.1% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 5.4% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 91.5% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 26.7% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $53,183 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.8% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Iowa. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Iowa
Iowa voted for the Republican candidate in four out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, 31 are located in Iowa, accounting for 15.04 percent of the total pivot counties.[9]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Iowa had 31 Retained Pivot Counties, 17.13 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.
More Iowa coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Iowa
- United States congressional delegations from Iowa
- Public policy in Iowa
- Endorsers in Iowa
- Iowa fact checks
- More...
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The salary of the chief judge may be higher than an associate judge.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Iowa," September 13, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "Judicial Retirement System," updated September 2015
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Nominating Commissions, "State Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed September 13, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct," accessed September 20, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ National Center For State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Removal of Judges," accessed September 20, 2021
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "Appeals court overturns Des Moines man's murder conviction," April 22, 2015
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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
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