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Applicants line up to fill Iowa Supreme Court vacancy

Interviews will be taking place in the Iowa Supreme Court Courtroom

DES MOINES, Iowa — 15 people want to be the next Iowa Supreme Court justice, according to Iowa court officials.

The seat is open on the state's highest court after Justice David Wiggins announced his retirement earlier this year. He's leaving the court in March. 

The 15 applicants will be interviewed by the Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission on March 6. After the interviews, members of the commission will decide which three are the best for the job, and they'll  then submit that list of names to the governor. Gov. Kim Reynolds will then have to select the next Supreme Court justice from that list.

The applicants include:

• Mindy Larson Poldberg, Director of Government Relations, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Panora. 

• Molly Weber,  Assistant Attorney General, Iowa Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, Adel 

• Craig Nierman, Attorney, Phelan, Tucker, Mullen, Walker, Tucker & Gelman, L.L.P., Iowa City 

• Sharon Brenna Findley Bird, Guthrie County Attorney, Attorney, Bird Law Office, PLLC, Strategic Advisor, LS2group, Dexter 

• Theresa Wilson, Assistant Appellate Defender, Office of the State Appellate Defender, Des Moines 

• Matthew McDermott, Attorney, Belin McCormick, P.C., Des Moines 

• Romonda Belcher, District Associate Judge, 5th Judicial District, Des 

• Lisa Reel Schmidt, Assistant Attorney General, Iowa Attorney General’s Office, Des Moines 

• Alan Ostergren, Muscatine County Attorney, Letts 

• Patrick Tott, District Court Judge, Third Judicial District, Sioux City 

• William Miller, Attorney, Dorsey & Whitney LLP, Des Moines 

• Mary Chicchelly, District Court Judge, Sixth Judicial District, Cedar Rapids 

• Sam Langholz, Senior Legal Counsel and Special Advisor, Office of Governor Kim Reynolds, Ankeny 

• Joel Barrows, District Court Judge, Seventh Judicial District, Bettendorf 

• David May, Iowa Court of Appeals, Polk City 

This will be the fourth justice Reynolds has appointed since she took office in 2017. 

The Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission has been the center for controversy in the last several years. In the 2019 legislative session, Republican lawmakers pushed  through a bill that would give more power to the governor by allowing her to make nine appointments, instead of eight, to the 17-member panel.

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Democrats challenged the law in court, but lost earlier this month. 

The public can submit comments about the applicants to the court if they wish.

For more information, check out the Iowa Judicial Branch website here

Comments must be submitted to the commission members via email no later than 5:00 p.m. March 4, 2020 at the email addresses on the State Judicial Nominating Commission website and by email to the Secretary of the commission at sjnc@iowa.gov.

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