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Iowa District Eight

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This officeholder information was last updated on December 5, 2024. Please contact us with any updates.

Court

Iowa District Eight is a district court in Iowa. It encompasses the counties of Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello and Washington.

Judges

District court judges

Chief judge: Myron L. Gookin, District 8A

District associate judges

Associate juvenile judge

Williams S. Owens, District 8A

Magistrate judges

Former judges

External links

Elections

See also: Iowa judicial elections

Iowa is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Iowa, click here.

Selection method

See also: Assisted appointment (judicial selection)

Judges of the Iowa District Courts are all appointed by the governor with help from a nominating commission. When a vacancy occurs on one of the courts, the commission submits a list of three potential nominees to the governor, who appoints one to serve as 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 continue serving.^[2]

The chief judge is selected by the state supreme court.^[2]

To serve, a judge must be licensed to practice law in the state, a member of Iowa bar, a resident of the district and under the age of 72*.^[2]

*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]

Election rules

Retention election

In Iowa's retention elections, voters are asked to decide whether a judge should remain in office. The judge is retained for a new term if a majority of voters answers with a "yes" vote. If the majority responds with a "no" vote, the judge is removed from the bench at the end of the term.^[4]

Judges must file for retention at least 104 days prior to the election which precedes the end of their term. If a judge does not file a declaration of candidacy, the term will become vacant upon expiration.^[5]

According to a brochure released by the Iowa Judicial Branch, the purpose of Iowa's retention elections is to evaluate the competency of judges, as opposed to the popularity of their individual rulings.^[4]