Iowa
Iowa Supreme Court By The Numbers:
Justice
Former prosecutor
- 7 total seats
- 0 current vacancies
- 1 prosecutor
- 0 public defenders
- 1 Justice has other indigent defense experience
- 0 civil rights lawyers
How Members of the Iowa Supreme Court are Selected:
Appointment, Retention Election
The governor appoints justices from a shortlist provided by the State Judicial Nominating Commission. The commission has 17 members; eight members are elected by lawyers, and another nine members are appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate. Under state law, there cannot be more than a simple majority on the commission of the same gender. Judges appointed by the governor serve one-year and then face a retention election for a full eight-year term.
Selection method sources:
Ballotpedia, Judicial Election Methods By State; Brennan Center for Justice, Judicial Selection: An Interactive Map