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David M. Porter

District Court Judge: District 5C

David M. Porter

Judge Porter, Polk County, was appointed to the District Court bench in October 2015. He received dual Bachelor of Arts degrees from the University of Maryland at College Park, one in English/Communications, and the second in Criminology/ Criminal Justice. 

Judge Porter earned his law degree from Drake University Law School in 2004, with a certification in litigation and dispute resolution. While at Drake, he was awarded the C. Edwin Moore Award for Appellate Advocacy, and upon graduation, he earned the Distinguished Advocate Award and bestowed with an Order of the Barristers distinction. 

After graduation, Judge Porter lived in Las Vegas, Nevada and worked at a law firm that specialized in construction-defect litigation. After returning to Iowa in 2006, he served as the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Prosecutor for Wapello County. In February 2007, Judge Porter joined the Polk County Attorney's Office, wherein he prosecuted OWI related offenses, vehicular homicides, sexually-based offenses, and crimes against children. 

Currently, Judge Porter is a member of the Board of Counselors for the Drake University law School. He is serves on the Iowa Domestic Abuse Death Response Team. Judge Porter is also a member of the C. Edwin Moore Inn of Court, as well as a member of the Polk County and Iowa State Bar Associations. 

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