Showers not picked for appeals court opening

WASHINGTON — District Court Judge Shawn Showers of Washington County was passed over for an appointment to the Iowa Court of Appeals last week, after the governor picked a different applicant for the job vacated by retiring Chief Judge Thomas Bower.

In an email, the Office of Gov. Kim Reynolds said she had chosen John Sandy for the bench. Sandy currently serves as District Judge at Iowa’s District 3A, in Spirit Lake.

Sandy has an undergraduate and law degree from the University of St. Thomas, according to his bio on the Iowa Judicial Branch website, which said his previous legal experience included serving as a first assistant public defender for the state of Minnesota and as a shareholder and managing partner at Sandy Law Firm, P.C. He started working as a judge in 2021.

Sandy and Showers were among five applicants recommended for the vacant appeals court position by The Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission, which sent a list of five suitable candidates to the governor after interviewing 18 people for the job in May.