Iowa Supreme Court elections, 2024
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The term of one Iowa Supreme Court justice will expire on December 31, 2024. The one seat was up for retention election on November 5, 2024. The filing deadline was July 24, 2024.
One of seven justices on the Iowa Supreme Court is up for retention election— David May. He must compete in a yes-no retention election (occurring during the regularly scheduled general election) to serve an eight-year term. Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) appointed him to the supreme court.
Heading into the election, all seven judges on the court were appointed by a Republican governor. 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.[1]
Candidates and results
May's seat
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 | ||||
|
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Candidate profiles
There were no candidate profiles created for this race. Candidate profiles would have appeared here as candidates completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey.
Voting information
- See also: Voting in Iowa
About the Iowa Supreme Court
- See also: Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the court of last resort for the state of Iowa. The court is composed of seven justices who serve eight-year terms. Justices are chosen through a commission-selection, political appointment method, and stand for retention in order to serve subsequent terms.[2][3]
Political composition
This was the political composition of the court heading into the 2024 election.
| ■ David May | Appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in 2022 | |
| ■ Susan Christensen | Appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in 2018 | |
| ■ Edward Mansfield | Appointed by Gov. Terry E. Branstad (R) in 2011 | |
| ■ Matthew McDermott | Appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in 2020 | |
| ■ Christopher McDonald | Appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in 2019 | |
| ■ Dana Oxley | Appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in 2020 | |
| ■ Thomas Waterman | Appointed by Gov. Terry E. Branstad (R) in 2011 |
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Iowa
Each of the seven justices on the Iowa Supreme Court serves terms of 8 years. In the case of a vacancy, 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]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[5]
- 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).[6]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Bolts, "Your State-by-State Guide to the 2024 Supreme Court Elections," accessed May 30, 2024
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Court Structure," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsupreme - ↑ Iowa Judicial Nominating Commissions, "State Judicial Nominating Commission," accessed September 13, 2021
- ↑ National Center for State Courts, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Iowa," September 13, 2021
- ↑ Iowa Legislature, "Judicial Retirement System," updated September 2015
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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