David May
2022 - Present
2032
2
David May is a judge of the Iowa Supreme Court. He assumed office on August 19, 2022. His current term ends on December 31, 2032.
May ran for re-election for judge of the Iowa Supreme Court. He won in the retention election on November 5, 2024.
Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed May to the Iowa Supreme Court on July 27, 2022, to replace Brent Appel.[1] In Iowa, Supreme Court judges are selected through assisted appointment.
Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) appointed May to the Iowa Court of Appeals on April 27, 2019, to succeed Judge David Danilson.[2] He left office after being appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court.
May was a district court judge for Iowa District Court 5C from 2016 to 2019. He was appointed to the position on February 3, 2016.[2][3]
Education
May obtained a B.A. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1993, a master of public health (M.P.H.) in health administration and policy from the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in 1995, and a J.D. from the Drake University Law School in 1998.[3][4]
Career
- 2022-Present: Judge, Iowa Supreme Court
- 2019-2022: Judge, Iowa Court of Appeals
- 2016-2019: Judge, Iowa District Court 5C
- 2001-2016: Shareholder, Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor, & Fairgrave[3][4]
Elections
2024
See also: Iowa Supreme Court elections, 2024
Iowa Supreme Court
David May was retained to the Iowa Supreme Court on November 5, 2024 with 63.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
63.3
|
774,294 | ||
No |
36.7
|
449,148 | |||
Total Votes |
1,223,442 | ||||
|
|
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for May in this election.
2020
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 | ||||
|
|
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
David May did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
David May did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
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State supreme court judicial selection in Iowa
- See also: Judicial selection in Iowa
The seven justices on the Iowa Supreme Court are selected through the assisted appointment method. When a vacancy occurs on the supreme court, the State Judicial Nominating Commission submits a list of three potential nominees to the governor, who appoints one to serve as a judge. The commission consists of 17 members—nine appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Iowa State Senate and eight (two from each congressional district) elected by lawyers.[5]
Iowa law states that no more than a simple majority of the state nominating commission may be of the same gender.[6]
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 eight-year terms.[7]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[7]
- 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).[8]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is elected by peer vote and serves a two-year term.[7]
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.[5]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Capital Dispatch, "Gov. Kim Reynolds appoints Judge David May to Iowa Supreme Court," July 27, 2022
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Times-Republican, "Gov. Reynolds appoints Sharon Soorholtz Greer to Court of Appeals," April 27, 2019
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Iowa Judicial Branch, "District Judge: District 5," archived April 30, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 LinkedIn, "David May," accessed April 29, 2019
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Iowa Judicial Nominating Commissions, "State Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed September 13, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "CHAPTER 46, 46.1 and 46.2," accessed September 13, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Iowa," September 13, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "Judicial Retirement System," updated September 2015
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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
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Current judges | Susan Christensen, Edward Mansfield, David May, Matthew McDermott, Christopher McDonald, Dana Oxley, Thomas Waterman | ||
| Former judges | Brent Appel, Mark Cady, Daryl Hecht, David Wiggins, Bruce B. Zager | ||
 |
State of Iowa Des Moines (capital) |
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