Shawn Showers named chief judge of 8th District

WASHINGTON — Washington County-based District Court Judge Shawn Showers will become the 8th Judicial District’s chief judge on July 8, the Iowa Judicial Branch announced Friday morning.

The release said Showers would replace Chief Judge Myron Gookin, who plans to retire July 7.

“I am very pleased to appoint Judge Showers as chief judge,” Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen said in a statement. “I have watched him present at conferences and he is both knowledgeable and an excellent communicator, two important traits for a successful chief judge. As a matter of fact, Judge Showers checks all the boxes on the list of important qualities for a chief judge from decisive and respectful judicial temperament to a commitment to the administration of justice.”

Showers became a district court judge in November of 2016, when he was appointed by then Gov. Terry Branstad. On the bench, he’s presided over noteworthy cases like the murder of Spanish Teacher Nohema Graber in Fairfield, and that of a woman in Washington who attempted to escape a police officer in a stolen vehicle, dragging the officer behind her while he held onto the car.

Showers previously worked as an assistant county attorney in Cerro Gordo County and Washington County, and as an assistant public defender in Ottumwa before being elected Washington County Attorney in November of 2014, according to the Iowa Judicial Branch.

In the state’s press release, Showers said he was “deeply humbled and honored” by the appointment, adding that Judge Gookin was on of his “great mentors.”

“I would like to thank Chief Justice Christensen and justices of the Iowa Supreme Court for this privilege,” he said. “I would also like to thank my outstanding colleagues and hardworking judicial branch employees in the Eighth Judicial District for their dedication to the administration of justice. It is a privilege to work with them."

As chief judge, Showers will supervise all judicial officers and court employees in the district, supervise the performance of administrative and judicial business in the district, set the times and places of holding court, designate presiding judges, and serve on the judicial council which advises the state’s supreme court on administrative matters affecting the trial courts, according to the Iowa Judicial Branch, which said he would also continue to preside over cases.

The Eighth Judicial District covers Southeast Iowa, comprised of 14 counties: Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee, Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington, according t the Iowa Judicial Branch. The district has 11 district court judges, nine district associate court judges, 14 part-time magistrates, seven senior judges, and 120 employees, with an operating budget for the current fiscal year of approximately $16.3 million. More than 60,000 cases were filed in the Eighth Judicial District in 2024.

Comments: Kalen.McCain@southeastiowaunion.com