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Judges and Magistrates

Jeffrey L. Larson

Chief Judge: District 4

Chief Judge Larson, Harlan, was appointed to the bench in 2003 and became Chief Judge due to the retirement of Judge Charles L. Smith III. He earned his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1985. He has been in private practice as well as serving as Shelby County...

Jennifer Benson Bahr

District Judge: District 4

Judge Bahr was appointed as District Court Judge on January 14, 2022. Prior to her appointment, she served on the District Associate bench beginning May 3, 2019. Judge Bahr received her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 2002 and her Juris Doctorate from Drake University School of Law...

Richard H. Davidson

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Davidson, Clarinda, was appointed to the bench in 2009. He attended Drake University where he earned a Bachelors of Arts Degree in 1981 and a Juris Doctorate in 1984. He then moved to Washington D.C. where he served as a Trial Attorney for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission until...

Craig M. Dreismeier

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Craig M. Dreismeier, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench as a District Court Judge on October 19, 2018. From December 2010 until October 19, 2018 he served as a District Associate Judge for the Fourth Judicial District. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he received his undergraduate degree from the...

Michael D. Hooper

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Hooper was appointed to the bench in January 2019. He and his family live in Atlantic, Iowa. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Judge Hooper was the Cass County attorney. In private practice, he worked primarily as a criminal defense attorney. He graduated with a BA in Sociology...

Kathleen A. Kilnoski

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Kilnoski, Council Bluffs, was appointed as District Court Judge January 9, 2009 and served as District Associate Judge since 1996. She was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and attended Grinnell College. After graduating with her bachelor's degree in 1981, she went on to earn her law degree from University...

Margaret Reyes

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Reyes, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench on October 19, 2018. Margaret “Maggie” Reyes is a 1993 graduate of Creighton University School of Law and a 1990 graduate of Creighton University. Maggie has worked as an Assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney in charge of the office’s Civil Division since...

Greg W Steensland

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Steensland, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench October 7, 2005. He earned his bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Iowa in 1973 and his law degree from Drake University in 1976. He was in private practice for fifteen years and served in the public defender's...

Amy Zacharias

District Court Judge: District 4

Judge Zacharias, Logan, was appointed to district associate judge in December 2015 and district court judge in March 2019. She received her BSBA from Creighton University in 1998 and her Juris Doctorate from Creighton University School of Law in 2001, Magna Cum Laude. She clerked for Judge John Irwin with...

Donna Bothwell

District Associate Judge: District 4

Judge Bothwell was appointed as District Associate Judge on March 4, 2022. She received her undergraduate degree from Colorado University in 2002 and her Juris Doctorate from Drake University School of Law in 2005, Cum Laude. Judge Bothwell was an attorney with the Iowa Legal Aid's Council Bluffs office prior...

Charles D. Fagan

District Associate Judge: District 4

Judge Fagan, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench January 30, 2009. He graduated from the University of Iowa in 1988 and received his Juris Doctorate from Creighton University in 1995. Prior to his appointment to the bench Judge Fagan worked at the State of Iowa Public Defender's Office. He...

Eric J. Nelson

District Associate Judge: District 4

Judge Nelson, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench in December 2018. He was raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska in 2001 and his law degree from Oklahoma City University in 2005. Judge Nelson was in private practice from 2006-2010 and...

Scott D. Strait

District Associate Judge: District 4

Judge Strait, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench in August of 2018. He received his Bachelor's degree from Creighton University in 1991 and his law degree from Creighton University Law School in 1994. Prior to being appointed to the bench, Judge Strait was in private practice for twenty-four years...

Gary Anderson

Senior Judge: District 4

Judge Anderson, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench in 1987. He received his undergraduate education from the University of Iowa and his law education from Creighton University.

Mark J. Eveloff

Senior Judge: District 4

Judge Eveloff, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench in January of 1996 as District Associate Judge. He was appointed to the District Court in November 2010 due to the retirement of District Court Judge Charles Smith III. Born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, he received his undergraduate degree from the...

James S. Heckerman

Senior Judge: District 4

Judge Heckerman, Council Bluffs, was appointed to the bench in 1996. He was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and earned his bachelor's degree from Iowa State University in 1972. In 1974 he graduated with his law degree from Creighton University. He worked in private practice, as assistant Pottawattamie County attorney,...

Lindsay E. Andersen

Magistrate

Magistrate Lindsay E. Andersen was appointed to serve Pottawattamie County in 2013. He earned his degree in Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1973 and Juris Doctor from Creighton University School of Law in 1990. Magistrate Andersen's previous professional experience includes retiring in 2007 as Captain...

Eric Checketts

Magistrate

Magistrate Eric A. Checketts was appointed to serve Fremont County November 1, 2019. He is currently self-employed in general practice of law since 2018. Magistrate Checketts received his Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University–Idaho in 2011 and Juris Doctor from University of Iowa College of Law in 2016. He...

William T. Early

Magistrate

Magistrate William T. Early, was appointed to serve Shelby County in 1985. He earned his degree in economics in 1980 and his law degree in 1983 from the University of Iowa. He served as assistant Shelby County attorney and is a member of the Shelby County and Iowa State Bar...

John P. Heithoff

Magistrate

Magistrate John P. Heithoff, Council Bluffs, was appointed to serve Pottawattamie County August 1, 2009. He is currently self-employed in general practice of law since 1977. Heithoff was previously employed as Assistant County Attorney for Pottawattamie County from January 1987 to May of 1989. He was also Assistant City Attorney,...

Justin Hockenberry

Magistrate

Magistrate Justin D. Hockenberry, Anita, was appointed on July 12, 2015 to serve Cass County. He earned his undergraduate degree from Iowa State University in 2006 and his law degree from Creighton University School of Law in 2009, where he currently maintains a private practice. Magistrate Hockenberry previously worked in...

Karen L. Mailander

Magistrate

Magistrate Karen Mailander was appointed in 2013 to serve as Audubon County Magistrate. She served as the magistrate in Cass County from 2013-June 30, 2021 and was appointed to be the magistrate in Audubon County on July 1, 2021.She earned her undergraduate in Biology in 1980 from Creighton University and...

Brian S. Mensen

Magistrate

Magistrate Brian S. Mensen was appointed to serve Montgomery County in March 2006. In 2013 he was appointed to magistrate in Page County. Magistrate Mensen received his BA in accounting at the University of Northern Iowa in 1999. In 2002, he received his JD from Drake University Law School. Mensen...

Ivan Miller

Magistrate

Magistrate Ivan Miller, Red Oak, was appointed to serve Montgomery County in December 2011. Magistrate Miller received his undergraduate education from the University of Iowa and his law education from Drake University. He is also currently an associate at Billings & Mensen Law Firm.

Jesse A. Render

Magistrate

Magistrate Jesse A. Render, Missouri Valley, was appointed to serve Harrison County in 2005. He received his undergraduate degree from Iowa State in 1996 and his law degree from Creighton in 2004. Render served as a law clerk in District 4 before going into private practice. He is a member...

Robert V. Rodenburg

Magistrate

Magistrate Rodenburg was appointed to serve Pottawattamie County in 2013. He earned his undergraduate from Creighton University in 1980 and pursued his law degree in 1983 through Creighton University also. Magistrate Rodenburg has been in private practice since 1983 before his appointment as Magistrate.

Keith Tucker

Magistrate

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