Iowa Supreme Court
| Iowa Supreme Court |
|---|
|
| Court Information |
| Justices: 7 |
| Founded: 1846 |
| Location: Des Moines |
| Salary |
| Associates: $196,692[1] |
| 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.[2]
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.
Jurisdiction
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.[3] 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.[4]
The supreme court has sole power to admit individuals to practice law in the state and to prescribe rules for attorney conduct and the discipline of attorneys.[5] The state supreme court has supervisory and administrative control over the judicial branch and over all judicial officers in the state.[6]
Justices
The table below lists the current judges of the Iowa Supreme Court, their political party, and when they assumed office.
| Office | Name | Party | Date assumed office |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa Supreme Court | Susan Christensen | Nonpartisan | 2018 |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Edward Mansfield | Nonpartisan | 2011 |
| Iowa Supreme Court | David May | Nonpartisan | August 19, 2022 |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Matthew McDermott | Nonpartisan | April 3, 2020 |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Christopher McDonald | Nonpartisan | April 5, 2019 |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Dana Oxley | Nonpartisan | February 24, 2020 |
| Iowa Supreme Court | Thomas Waterman | Nonpartisan | 2011 |
Judicial selection
- 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.[7]
Iowa law states that no more than a simple majority of the state nominating commission may be of the same gender.[8]
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.[9]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[9]
- 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).[10]
Chief justice
The chief justice of the supreme court is elected by peer vote and serves a two-year term.[9]
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.[7]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 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
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch,"Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch,"Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 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
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Iowa," September 13, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "Judicial Retirement System," updated September 2015
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "2012 GENERAL ELECTION CANVASS SUMMARY," accessed September 20, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "Official Results Report, 2010 General Election held Tuesday, November 2nd 2010," accessed September 20, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Secretary of State, "State of Iowa Official Canvass Summary, November 4, 2008 General Election," accessed September 20, 2021
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedguide - ↑ An Indeterminate score indicates that there is either not enough information about the justice’s partisan affiliations or that our research found conflicting partisan affiliations.
- ↑ The Court Balance Score is calculated by finding the average partisan Confidence Score of all justices on a state supreme court. For example, if a state has justices on the state supreme court with Confidence Scores of 4, -2, 2, 14, -2, 3, and 4, the Court Balance is the average of those scores: 3.3. Therefore, the Confidence Score on the court is Mild Republican. The use of positive and negative numbers in presenting both Confidence Scores and Court Balance Scores should not be understood to that either a Republican or Democratic score is positive or negative. The numerical values represent their distance from zero, not whether one score is better or worse than another.
- ↑ Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 The Gazette, "Iowa justices uphold controversial collective bargaining changes," May 17, 2019
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Supreme Court of Iowa, "AFSCME Iowa Council 61 v. Iowa: Decision," May 17, 2019
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 Des Moines Register, "Traffic camera restrictions from DOT are tossed by Iowa Supreme Court," April 27, 2018
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Insurance Journal, "Court: Iowa farmers who host tours can be liable," February 19, 2013
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 Justia, "Sallee v. Stewart," February 15, 2013
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Boston Herald, "Iowa Supreme Court considers gay marriage ban," December 9, 2008
- ↑ NBC News, "Iowa Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage," April 3, 2009
- ↑ FindLaw, "VARNUM v. BRIEN," April 3, 2009
- ↑ Globe Gazette, "Same-sex weddings likely part of state marriage increases," July 24, 2010
- ↑ 28.0 28.1 Iowa Judicial Branch, "Civil Rights," accessed September 20, 2021 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "iacourts" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ The Annals of Iowa,"The Historical Development and Composition of the Iowa Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ The Annals of Iowa,"The Historical Development and Composition of the Iowa Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ The Annals of Iowa,"The Historical Development and Composition of the Iowa Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ State Historical Society of Iowa,"RG 055 Supreme Court and Court of Appeals," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ The Annals of Iowa,"The Historical Development and Composition of the Iowa Supreme Court," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch,"Iowa Courts History," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch,"Justices," accessed June 17, 2024
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct," accessed September 20, 2021
- ↑ National Center For State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Removal of Judges," accessed September 20, 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
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