The state Judicial Building.
More than a dozen people are seeking the open spot on the state’s highest court.
Nineteen people have applied to the State Judicial Nominating Commission to fill the open spot on the Iowa Supreme Court created by the retirement of Justice Daryl Hecht on December 13th. They include nine judges currently serving on lower courts, two assistant U.S. attorneys, one county attorney, an assistant in the Iowa Attorney General’s office, and six attorneys in private practice.
The nominating commission will meet and interview any of the applicants who were not interviewed for the vacancy on the court last fall before moving ahead with a decision. The interviews are open to the public and will be streamed live by the court.
The commission will cut the field down to three people, and then give those names to the governor to select one to fill the spot.
Here are the applicants:
Joel Barrows, District Court Judge, Seventh Judicial District, Bettendorf
Romonda Belcher, District Associate Judge, Fifth Judicial District, Des Moines
Mary Chicchelly, District Court Judge, Sixth Judicial District, Cedar Rapids
Jean Dickson, Attorney, Betty, Neuman & McMahon, PLC, Bettendorf
David Faith II, Assistant United States Attorney, Southern District of Iowa, Indianola
Timothy Gartin, Attorney, Hastings, Gartin & Boettger, Ames
Myron Gookin, District Court Judge, Eighth Judicial District, Fairfield
CeCelia Ibson, Attorney, Ibson Law Firm, Des Moines
Christine Lebron-Dykeman, Attorney, McKee, Voorhees & Sease, PLC, Des Moines
Kellyann Lekar, District Court Judge, First Judicial District, Waterloo
Christopher McDonald, Court of Appeals Judge, Iowa Court of Appeals, Des Moines
Craig Nierman, Attorney, Phelan, Tucker, Mullen, Walker, Tucker & Gelman, LLP, Iowa City
Alan Ostergren, Muscatine County Attorney, Muscatine
David Porter, District Court Judge, Fifth Judicial District, Johnston
Dustria Relph, District Court Judge, Fifth Judicial District, Corydon
Elisabeth Reynoldson, Attorney, Reynoldson & Van Werden, L.L.P., Osceola
Patrick Tott, District Court Judge, Third Judicial District, Sioux City
Molly Weber, Assistant Attorney General, Iowa Attorney General’s Office, Adel
Lisa Williams, Assistant United States Attorney, US Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Iowa, Iowa City