Iowa Supreme Court elections, 2020
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| 2020 Election Dates | |
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| Deadline to file candidacy | |
| July 27, 2020 | |
| General election | |
| November 3, 2020 | |
| 2020 State Judicial Elections | |
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| Overview | |
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Four Iowa Supreme Court justices won retention elections on November 3, 2020.
Election procedure changes in 2020
Ballotpedia provided comprehensive coverage of how election dates and procedures changed in 2020. While the majority of changes occurred as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some changes occurred for other reasons.
Iowa modified its absentee/mail-in voting procedures for the November 3, 2020, general election as follows:
- Absentee/mail-in voting: Absentee ballot application forms were sent to all registered voters in the general election.
For a full timeline about election modifications made in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, click here.
Candidates and results
Christensen's seat
Iowa Supreme Court
Susan Christensen was retained to the Iowa Supreme Court on November 3, 2020 with 73.0% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
73.0
|
859,886 | ||
No |
27.0
|
317,598 | |||
Total Votes |
1,177,484 | ||||
|
|
Mansfield's seat
Iowa Supreme Court
Edward Mansfield was retained to the Iowa Supreme Court on November 3, 2020 with 69.2% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
69.2
|
802,356 | ||
No |
30.8
|
356,374 | |||
Total Votes |
1,158,730 | ||||
|
|
McDonald's seat
Iowa Supreme Court
Christopher McDonald was retained to the Iowa Supreme Court on November 3, 2020 with 71.3% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
71.3
|
825,661 | ||
No |
28.7
|
332,499 | |||
Total Votes |
1,158,160 | ||||
|
|
Waterman's seat
Iowa Supreme Court
Thomas Waterman was retained to the Iowa Supreme Court on November 3, 2020 with 69.9% of the vote.
Retention Vote |
% |
Votes |
|||
| ✔ | Yes |
69.9
|
809,058 | ||
No |
30.1
|
348,665 | |||
Total Votes |
1,157,723 | ||||
|
|
Past elections
2016
- See also: Iowa Supreme Court elections, 2016
Mark Cady was retained in the Iowa Supreme Court election with 65.30% of the vote.
| Iowa Supreme Court, Cady's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
 Mark Cady | 65.30% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Daryl Hecht was retained in the Iowa Supreme Court election with 64.08% of the vote.
| Iowa Supreme Court, Hecht's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Daryl Hecht | 64.08% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Brent Appel was retained in the Iowa Supreme Court election with 64.36% of the vote.
| Iowa Supreme Court, Appel's seat, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Yes votes | |
| Brent Appel | 64.36% | |
| Source: Iowa Secretary of State Official Results | ||
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.[1][2]
Political composition
This was the political composition of the supreme court heading into the 2020 election.
| ■ Brent Appel | Appointed by Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) in 2006 | |
| ■ 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
In 1962, a constitutional amendment was passed which changed the court's method of judicial selection to a commission-selection, political appointment method, sometimes referred to as "merit selection." This amendment applies to all appellate and district court justices. Judicial nominees are selected by the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission. The governor then makes the appointment from the list submitted by the commission. One year after the appointment, the justice must stand for retention in the next general election. If a judge is not retained, his or her term ends on December 31 following the election. Once retained, judges serve for eight-year terms. The mandatory retirement age for judges is 72.[3][4]
Qualifications
Justices must be lawyers admitted to practice in Iowa. They must be able to serve a full term of office before reaching the mandatory retirement age of 72.[3]
Chief justice
The justices of the court elect their chief justice. The term of chief justice matches that justice's regular term on the court.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Court Structure," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedsupreme - ↑ 3.0 3.1 Iowa Judicial Branch, "Guide to Iowa's Court System," December 2005
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "20th Century Reforms," accessed September 26, 2014
- ↑ Iowa Judicial Branch, "Supreme Court Justices," accessed September 26, 2014
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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