Supreme Court justices up for retention in November

    Three of Iowa?s Supreme Court justices are up for a retention vote on Nov. 2. Michael Streit, David Baker and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus are all seeking another eight years on the bench, which is the length of a supreme court justice?s term.

    District Court Judge Michael Mullins is also up for retention. Mullins practiced law in Washington for 19 years from 1982 to 2001. In 2002, he was appointed to the eighth judicial district, which includes Washington County. Mullins attended the University of Iowa where he obtained a master?s degree in social work in 1976, and then obtained a law degree from Drake University Law School in 1982.

    District court judges serve six-year terms.

    The state?s retention system began in 1962, when Iowa voters approved a constitutional amendment that replaced the election of judges with merit selection and subsequent retention elections. According to the Iowa Judicial Branch Public Outreach Committee, the newer system curbs the influence of political parties and special interest groups while emphasizing a judge?s professional qualifications.

    Under the merit selection system, a nonpartisan commission reviews the qualifications of applicants for judicial office. Once the commission screens and interviews applicants, it forwards a slate of nominees to the governor who makes the final appointment.

    After appointment to the bench, all judges must stand for a retention election at the first general election following appointment. That means they are voted on after one year on the bench. Judges do not have opponents in retention elections. If judges receives a majority of ?yes? votes, they may serve another term. If he receives a majority of ?no? votes, he is removed from office at the end of the year. A justice must retire upon reaching the age of 72.

    Besides Mullins, there are five other judges from the eighth judicial district up for retention. Judge Joel Yates was appointed in 2007 and practiced law in Oskaloosa from 1995-2007. Judge Kurt Daily was appointed in 1998 and was previously a judicial magistrate in Wapello County. Judge Annette Scieszinski was appointed in 1996 and was the Monroe County Attorney for eight years. Judge Randy DeGeest was appointed in 2009 and served as the city attorney for Oskaloosa from 1994 until his appointment. Judge William Owens is an associate juvenile judge who was appointed in 1999 and who worked in private practice in Albia for 14 years.

    Supreme Court Chief Justice Ternus was appointed to the court in 1993 by Governor Terry Branstad. She was elected by her peers on the court as chief justice in 2006, making her the first woman to serve as chief justice of the court. Before joining the court, Ternus was a member of a Des Moines law firm and also served as the president of the Polk County Bar Association.

For more, see our Oct. 15 print edition.