The Iowa Judiciary
Iowa's state Supreme Court is located in the capital city of Des Moines and has seven justices. Justices are appointed to staggered six-year terms, intially, by the governor from a list of nominees. Subsequent terms are subject to public retention elections.
The nine-member Court of Appeals decides most appeals from lower courts. However, the supreme court can, if it so chooses, grant further review.
The state judicial system is divided into eight districts. Depending on the district, a district covers from 5 to 22 counties. Each of Iowa's 99 counties has a District Court.
District courts are composed of different kinds of judicial officers with varying amounts of jurisdiction. Judges in district court can be judicial magistrates, associate juvenile judges, associate probate judges, district associate judges, or district court judges.
- State Supreme Court
- Iowa Supreme Court
- Appellate Court
- Iowa Court of Appeals
- District Courts
- Iowa District Courts
- Related Links
- Iowa Official State Website
State Government
Judicial Branch
Iowa Attorney General
State Bar Association
more » above, in right-hand column