District 7

 

 

Chief Judge, Bobbi M Alpers: District 7

Judge Alpers, Davenport, was appointed to the bench in 1992 and named as chief judge in 2006. Born in Vinton, Iowa, she received her bachelor's degree at the University of Dubuque in 1973. She earned her master's in 1975 and her law degree in 1983 from the University of Iowa. After graduation, she clerked for the Seventh Judicial District, served as assistant Scott County attorney, and practiced law as a sole practitioner. From 1987 to 1992 she served as a Scott County magistrate. Judge Alpers is a member of the Scott County and Iowa State Bar Associations, as well as the Iowa Judges Association, National Association for Women Judges, the American Judicature Society and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.

 

District Court Judge, Mark D. Cleve: District 7

Judge Cleve, Davenport, was appointed to the bench in 1998. He was born in Davenport, Iowa. He received both his undergraduate and law education from the University of Iowa. After graduating from law school in 1981, he served as Assistant County Attorney for Black Hawk County. He was in private practice in Davenport, from 1984-1998. Judge Cleve is a member of the Scott County and Iowa Bar Associations, the Iowa Judges Association, and the Dillon Inn of Court.

 

District Court Judge, Marlita A. Greve: District 7

Judge Greve, Bettendorf, was appointed to the bench in 2006. She received her undergraduate degree from Upper Iowa University Magna Cum Laude and her law degree from the University Of Iowa College Of Law in 1992 with High Distinction. After graduation from law school, she was in private practice from 1992-2006. Judge Greve is a member of the Scott County Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, and the Iowa Judges Association.  She is married and has one child.

 

District Court Judge, Mary E. Howes: District 7

Judge Howes, Davenport, was appointed to the district court bench in September, 2006. She served as Associate Court Judge for Scott County from January 2000 until her appointment to district court. She served as a Scott County Magistrate from 1993 to 2000. Judge Howes also was an Assistant County Attorney for seven years. She received her undergraduate degree from Drake University in 1979 and her law degree from the University of Iowa in 1982.

 

District Court Judge, Paul L. Macek: District 7

Judge Macek was appointed to the bench in 2008.

 

District Court Judge, Gary D. McKenrick: District 7

Judge McKenrick, Low Moor, was appointed to the bench in 1993. He was appointed as District Court Judge in 1999. Born in DeWitt, Iowa, Judge McKenrick received his bachelor's degree from Cornell College in 1979 and his law degree from University of Iowa in 1982. He then clerked for the Seventh Judicial District for a year, before going into private practice from 1983 to 1993. He is married and has two children.

 

District Court Judge, Charles H. Pelton: District 7

Judge Pelton, Clinton, was appointed to the bench in 1974. He was born in Clinton, Iowa, and attended the University of Iowa. He earned his bachelor's degree in 1962 and his law degree in 1966. In addition to practicing law, he served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1966-1972 and chaired the OSHA Review Commission for one year. Judge Pelton is a member of the American Bar Association, the American Law Institute, and sat on the board of directors at the National Center for State Courts. Judge Pelton is married and has five children.

 

District Court Judge, Thomas G. Reidel: District 7

Judge Reidel, Muscatine, was appointed to the bench in 2011. He received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State University in 1989 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1992 with High Distinction. After graduation from law school, he was in private practice, in Muscatine, Iowa, from 1992 to 2011. He served as Muscatine County Magistrate from 2009 until his appointment to the district court bench. He is a past recipient of the Iowa Golden Seal Award for his dedication to ending domestic violence. He has a long history of being active in his community and is past board member of multiple non-profit organizations and the past Chairman of the Muscatine County Civil Service Commission. He is a member of the Muscatine County Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Associations and the Iowa Judges Association. He is married and has three children.

 

District Court Judge, David H. Sivright, Jr.: District 7

Judge Sivright, Clinton, was appointed to the bench in 1992. He was born in Gary, Indiana, and received his bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas in 1966. In 1969 he earned his law degree from the same institution. He practiced law with a private firm in Clinton, Iowa. Judge Sivright belongs to the Clinton County, Iowa State, and American Bar Associations. He serves on the Judicial Ethics and Courts and Community Committees of the Iowa Judges Association. He was awarded the key to the City of Clinton in 1989 and the Reeves Gold Key Award from the Clinton Community School District in 1990. He is married with two children.

 

District Court Judge, Mark J. Smith: District 7

Judge Smith, LeClaire, was appointed to the bench in 1997. Born in Davenport, Iowa, he earned his bachelor's degree from St. Ambrose University in 1972 and his law degree from St. Louis University in 1975. He has experience with real estate and personal injury cases, as well as trial work as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney.

 

District Court Judge, Nancy S. Tabor: District 7

Judge Tabor was appointed an associate juvenile judge in 1994 and named district court judge in 1999. Born in Morristown, New Jersey, she earned her undergraduate degree from William Paterson College of New Jersey in 1982 and her law degree in 1986 from the University of Wyoming, College of Law. Judge Tabor served as assistant city attorney in Cheyenne, Wyoming and as assistant Clinton county attorney. She was in private practice from 1987-1989 in Wyoming and later in Iowa until 1999. She served on the Supreme Court Task Force for Juvenile Court Improvement Project. She is a member of the Wyoming Bar Association, the Iowa Bar Association and an ISBA mediator. She is married and has two children.

 

Senior District Court Judge, J. Hobart Darbyshire: District 7

Judge Darbyshire, Davenport, was originally appointed to the bench in 1979, and served until 1985. After returning to private practice, he was again appointed as a District Judge in 1995, serving until his retirement on December 31, 2010.He was then appointed by the Iowa Supreme Court as Senior Judge for a two-year term, effective January 2011. Born in Lake City, Iowa, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Morningside College in 1964. He attended the University of Iowa College of Law, and received his Juris Doctor degree in 1967. Following law school, he served as a Law Clerk for the Honorable Clay LeGrand, Iowa Supreme Court Justice, from 1967-68; practiced law in Rockwell City, Mapleton, and Davenport; and served as a part-time U.S. magistrate for the Southern District of Iowa from 1972-79. Judge Darbyshire is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and the Iowa Judges' Association. He is married, with three children and four grandchildren.

 

District Associate Judge, John G. Mullen: District 7

Judge John G. Mullen was appointed District Associate Judge November 26, 1986, by the Seventh Judicial District Court. His assignment is primarily to the Juvenile Court. He was born in Tucson, Arizona, in 1949 but has lived most of his life in the Quad City area. He received a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Illinois in 1971. He received a law degree from Drake University in 1974. He was an Assistant Attorney General in the Iowa Attorney General's Office until 1978 in the Criminal Appeals Division and the Department of Transportation. He went into private practice in Davenport from 1978 to 1986 primarily in a trial practice in the areas of criminal, family, juvenile and appellate law. Throughout his career he has participated in many boards, committees, task forces and planning groups both in the community and the state. The most significant of those he feels include the Iowa Supreme Court task force on domestic violence, the Iowa Court Improvement Project task force, the juvenile court officer's training school advisory committee, the bi-state greenbook grant application task force and the Bridges Coalition that sprang from that collaboration, the Scott County domestic violence coalition, the Children's Justice Initiative's data collection task force, the Executive Council for Scott County Kids Decategorization Project, and the Scott County mental health task force. Judge Mullen also participated in both of Iowa's Child and Family Service Reviews. Judge Mullen is a member of the Scott County Bar Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Dillon Inn of Court and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He lives with his wife, Linda, in Davenport, Iowa.

 

District Associate Judge, Christine Dalton Ploof: District 7

Christine Dalton Ploof, Davenport, was appointed to the bench in November 2006. She received her bachelor's degree from Coe College in 1986, and her law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1989. Prior to her appointment to the bench, she worked at the State Public Defender's Muscatine Office; at the Muscatine County Attorney's office; and as a staff attorney at Muscatine Legal Services. Memberships include the Iowa State Bar Association, the Muscatine County Bar Association, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Iowa Public Defenders' Association.

 

District Associate Judge, Thomas H. Preacher: District 7

Judge Preacher was appointed to the bench in 2008.

  

District Associate Judge, Gary P. Strausser: District 7

Judge Strausser was appointed to the bench in 2005. He earned his bachelor's degree from Towson State University and his Law Degree from Drake University Law School. He also earned his Master's Degree from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Drake University. After graduating from Law School he served as an Assistant Clinton County Attorney from 1992 to 2005 and was First Assistant from 1999 until 2005. Judge Strausser is married and has one son.

 

District Associate Judge, Phillip J. Tabor: District 7

Judge Tabor was appointed to the bench in 2008. He earned his bachelor's degree with honors from the University of Iowa in 1981. He then received his law degree from the University of Wyoming in 1984. Judge Tabor served as an Assistant County Attorney, an Assistant Public Defender, and an Assistant Attorney General in the State of Wyoming. He was elected Jackson County, Iowa, Attorney in 1990. He was re-elected in 1994, 1998, and 2006. Judge Tabor is married with two children.

 

Senior District Associate Judge, Douglas McDonald: District 7

Judge McDonald, Bettendorf, was appointed to the bench in 1988, and served until his retirement on November 6, 2007. He was then appointed by the Iowa Supreme Court as Senior Judge for a two-year term, effective November 6, 2007. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Colorado and his law degree from Drake University. 

 

Magistrate Neva Rettig Baker

Magistrate Neva Rettig Baker, Muscatine, was appointed to serve Muscatine County in 1997. She went to the University of Iowa where she earned her bachelor's degree in 1984 and her law degree in 1987. She was executive director for Muscatine Legal Services, a judicial hospitalization referee, and is a sole practitioner. She is a member of the Muscatine County and Iowa State Bar Associations, the Ethics Committee, Kiwanis, Muscatine County Board of Health and a board member for Cross Roads, Inc. She and her husband have two children.

 

Magistrate Ronald J. Besch

Magistrate Ronald J. Besch was appointed to serve Jackson County in 1976.

 

Magistrate G. David Binegar

Magistrate G. David Binegar, Davenport, was appointed to serve Scott County in 1993. He earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 1976 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1979. He has been in private practice since 1980 and is married with three children.

 

Magistrate Carrie E. Coyle

Magistrate Carrie E. Coyle, Blue Grass, was appointed to serve Scott County in November, 2007.

 

Magistrate Dennis D. Jasper

Magistrate Dennis Jasper was appointed to serve Scott County in 2005. He earned his B.D.A. Degree from the University of Iowa in 1971, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 1974. He has been in law practice since 1974 with the firm of Stafne, Lewis and Jasper. Dennis Jasper is a member of the Scott County and Iowa State Bar Associations. He has served as Secretary of the Scott County Bar Association since 1988 and as a member of its Executive Council for five years. He has also served as a participant at the Young Lawyers' Luncheon, a volunteer participant for Mock Trials, a Davenport Civil Rights Commission Volunteer, volunteer legal counsel representing defendants in domestic violence actions, a participant in the Scott County Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service and a participating attorney in the Pro Bono Program co-sponsored by HELP Legal Assistance and the Scott County Bar Association.

 

Magistrate Michael M. Judge

Magistrate Michael M. Judge, Clinton, was appointed to serve Clinton County in 1993. He earned his undergraduate degree from Coe College in 1976 and his law degree from Drake University in 1988. Judge served as a juvenile court referee from 1990 to 1993 and is a member of the Clinton County and Iowa State Bar Associations. He is married with three children.

 

Magistrate Mark R. Lawson

Magistrate Mark R. Lawson was appointed to serve Jackson County in January, 2010. He is a 1976 graduate of St. Ambrose College and obtained a law degree from Drake University in 1979. He entered private practice in Maquoketa, Iowa following graduation and practices as a sole practitioner with Mark R. Lawson, P.C. He is a member of the Jackson County Bar Association, the Clinton County Bar Association, and the Iowa State Bar Association. He is the father of four grown children and resides with his wife in Bellevue.

 

Magistrate Theresa J. Seeberger

Magistrate Theresa J. Seeberger was appointed to serve Cedar County in 2009. She graduated from Grinnell College in 1984 and from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1988. She served as assistant Linn County Attorney and as Benton County Attorney during the 1990's. She has either worked as a full-time assistant state public defender or has concentrated her practice by contracting with the State of Iowa to represent indigent defendants since 2003. She lives in West Branch, Iowa.

 

Magistrate Cynthia Zamora Taylor

Magistrate Cynthia Zamora Taylor was appointed to serve Scott County in 1998. She received her undergraduate degree from St. Ambrose College in 1981 and her law degree from the University of Iowa in 1986. Taylor has been in private practice since 1988.

 

Magistrate Bert Watson

Magistrate Bert Watson, Dewitt, was appointed to serve Clinton County in 1981. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1972 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1976. He worked for Clinton County Legal Aid until 1981 and has since been engaged in the private practice of law. Watson is a member of the Clinton County, Iowa State, and American Bar Associations, and serves on the board for the Southside Development Corporation and Dewitt Community Hospital Foundation. He is married.

 

Magistrate Richard D. Wells

Magistrate Richard D. "Doug" Wells was appointed to serve Scott County in 1989. Having been born and raised in Davenport, Iowa, he earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1978 and a law degree from the University of Iowa in 1981. He served as an assistant in the Scott County Attorney's Office from 1982-1986. Since 1986 he has been engaged in the private practice of law. He is a member of the Scott County Bar Association where he served as President in 1997-98, the Iowa Bar Association and the Iowa Association for Justice. Wells has volunteered as a high school mock trial coach and judge, and as a participating attorney in the Scott County Pro Bono Program. He has served as President of the Community Resources Corporation, the Bettendorf Community Schools Foundation and the First Presbyterian Church Foundation. He is married with two children.

 

 Magistrate Stuart P. Werling

Magistrate Stuart Werling was appointed to serve Cedar County in 1986. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa in 1978 and his law degree from the University of Arkansas in 1980. He has practiced law in Tipton since 1981. Stuart Werling is a member of the Cedar County and Iowa State Bar Associations and has served as president of the Cedar County Bar and a Governor of the Iowa State Bar. Mr. Werling serves the Iowa State Bar Association on the Section Council of the General Practice section. He is a director of the Iowa Association of Magistrate Judges and a member the Iowa Association of Trial Lawyers and the Dillon Inn of Court. He is the recipient of the first Meritorious Service Award from the Judicial Department presented in 2004. Mr. Werling is married with two children.

 

Magistrate Stephen P. Wing

Magistrate Stephen P. Wing was appointed to serve Scott County in 2009. He earned his bachelor's degree from Ripon College, Ripon, Wisconsin in 1977 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1980. He has practiced law in Davenport since 1981. He is admitted in both Iowa and Illinois. Stephen Wing is a member of the Scott County and Iowa State Bar Associations and the Rock Island County and Illinois State Bar Associations. He is communications director of the Iowa Association of Magistrate Judges and a member of the Dillon Inn of Court. He is married.

 

Magistrate John E. Wunder

Magistrate John E. Wunder was appointed to serve Muscatine County in 2011.

 

Magistrate Thomas J. Yeggy

Magistrate Thomas Yeggy was appointed to serve Scott County in 2009.