Judges and Magistrates

Judge Anderson was appointed to the bench in July 2014. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Luther College in 1992 and his law degree, with distinction, from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1995. Prior to being appointed to the bench, he was in private practice in Iowa...

Judge Beslerwas appointed to the bench on June 21, 2018. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Luther College in 1996 and his law degree with Distinction from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1999. In law school he served as Student Legal Services Co-Director...

Judge Bruns was appointed to the bench on December 17, 2014. He earned his bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science from Drake University in 1988 and his law degree from Drake Law School in 1991, Order of the Coif. After graduation from law school, Judge Bruns was in private...

Judge Clay of Linn County was appointed to the bench on September 22, 2021. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from the University of Iowa in 1997. She then earned her Juris Doctorate at the University Of Maryland Law School in 2006. After graduation from law...

Judge Chappell was appointed to the Iowa District Court in February 2017. He earned his Bachelor of Arts with high honors in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracies from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1994 and his Juris Doctor with honors from the University of Iowa College of...

Judge Cox was appointed to the Iowa District Court in February 2022. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Iowa in 2004, and attended the University of Iowa College of Law, graduating with honors in 2007. After graduation from law school, Judge Cox served...

Judge Dupuich was appointed to the Iowa District Court in May 2023. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and English with honors, from the University of Iowa in 1998 and her Juris Doctor from the University of Southern California School of Law in 2002. After graduating from...

Judge Mark D. Fisher was appointed to the District Court bench on February 21, 2024. He earned his Associate of Science in Business Administration from Des Moines Area Community College in 2002, his Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies from Arizona State University in 2004, summa cum laude, and his...

Judge Harris was appointed to the District Court Bench on January 19, 2024. He earned his BBA in Finance from the University of Iowa in 2003, and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2007. After graduating from law school, Judge Harris served as a...

Judge Kepros was appointed to the district court bench in February 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Coe College in 1993 and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1996, with high honors. He worked as a private attorney and mediator in Iowa City...

Judge Lightfoot was appointed to the bench on March 25, 2021. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Criminal Justice Studies from Iowa State University in 2003, and his Juris Doctor with high distinction, Order of the Coif, from the University of Iowa College of Law in...

Judge McKeever was appointed to the bench on September 30, 2015. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in 1991 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 2001. Prior to being appointed to the bench, he was an Officer with the United States Navy (1991-1998), an...

Judge Thornhill was appointed to the district court bench September 25, 2009, and began his career as a district judge October 23, 2009. He received his B.B.A., from The University of Iowa in 1989. In 1991 he received his M.B.A. from The University of Iowa, and in 1998 received his...

Judge Black was appointed District Associate Judge in December 2021. Judge Black has an extensive background in child services. Prior to attending Drake University Law School in 2004, she was in the child services field for 20 years. She graduated from the University of Northern Iowa in 1984, obtained her...

Judge Bryner was appointed to the bench on July 24, 2020. She earned her B.A. in Business Administration from Hillsdale College in 1991, and her law degree from the University of Toledo, College of Law, in 1997. After graduation from law school, she worked as an Assistant Cedar Rapids City...

Judge Burns was appointed to the bench on August 18, 2015. He graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Justice Systems from Truman State University in 1999 and his Juris Doctorate degree, with distinction, from the University of Iowa in 2002. He was an Assistant Linn County Attorney...

Judge Carmer was appointed to the bench in August 2021. She graduated from Cornell College in 1998 and received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2002. Prior to her appointment, she worked as Assistant Linn County Attorney from August 2003 to July 2021.

Cynthia S. Finley was appointed to the district associate court bench in December 2018. Judge Finley presides over Juvenile Court proceedings in Linn and Benton Counties, as well as Linn County Family Treatment Court. She earned her undergraduate degree from Clemson University in 1984 and her law degree from the...

Judge Jones was appointed to the bench as a district associate judge in 2007. He received his undergraduate degree from Cornell College in 1987 and his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1990. Prior to being appointed, Judge Jones worked as a Federal Public Defender and was managing...

Judge Keast was appointed to the bench as a district associate judge in 2006. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 1982 and his law degree from Drake University in 1985. He was in private practice after obtaining his law degree and served as Assistant Linn...

Judge Johnston was appointed to the bench in 2007. Judge Johnston received her undergraduate degree from Luther College, cum laude, in 1989, and her law degree, with honors, from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1992. Judge Johnston started her legal career in private practice in Mount Pleasant,...

Judge Schrock was appointed District Associate Judge in January 2023. Prior to his appointment he served as a staff attorney for the Linn County Advocate from 2005 to 2023. Judge Schrock earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts in 2001....

Judge Scott was appointed District Associate Judge in 2016. He graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 2001. When not working for the people of the great State of Iowa, he enjoys beekeeping, raising hens, tapping maple trees, gardening, running, and reading.

Judge Grady was appointed as a full-time juvenile referee in 1989, was appointed to the district court bench in 1995, and was named Chief Judge of the Sixth Judicial District in 2009. He attended Creighton University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1975. After earning his law degree from...

Judge Sean W. McPartland is a senior judge in the Sixth Judicial District of Iowa, based in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Judge McPartland was appointed to the district court bench in 2008 after practicing in general civil litigation with law firms in Kansas City, Missouri (1984-1989) and in Cedar Rapids, Iowa...

Judge Miller was appointed to the district court bench in June 2010. He received his bachelor’s degree with highest honors from the University of Northern Iowa in 1973. He received his law degree with distinction from the University of Iowa in 1976. He practiced law for 34 years in a...

From 2010 to 2023, Judge Minot served as a District Associate Judge, presiding over criminal and juvenile cases in Johnson and Jones Counties. She was appointed as Senior Judge in 2023. Judge Minot is a member of the Iowa Judges Association and a fellow of the Georgetown University Center for...

Judge Sosalla was appointed to bench as a district associate judge in 1982. On October 30, 2003, he was appointed as a district court judge. Born in Carrington, North Dakota, he earned his undergraduate degree from Wayne State College in Nebraska. In 1972 he received his law degree from the...

Judge Turner was appointed to the district court bench in 2005. He attended the University of Minnesota and received his bachelor's degree in 1976. He earned his law degree from The University of Iowa in 1979. He has spent 26 years in private practice. Judge Turner is a member of...

Magistrate Ahrenholz, Benton County, was appointed to the bench in 2015. He earned his undergraduate degree from Wheaton College in 1990 and his law degree from Marquette University in 1993. He has been in private practice since receiving his law degree.

Magistrate Boyer, Iowa City, was appointed to serve as the newly added sixth magistrate position in Johnson County in August 2017. She earned her B.A. degree in Art History from the University of Michigan. She received her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law. She was a member...

Magistrate Denninger was appointed to the bench on August 3, 2018. She earned her B.A. from the University of Iowa in 1992 and her law degree from the University of Iowa in 1995. After graduation from law school, she worked as an Assistant County Attorney with Allamakee County (1995-1996) and...

Magistrate Egerton was appointed to serve Johnson County in 2005. She earned her undergraduate degree from Coe College in Cedar Rapids in 1992 and her law degree from the University of Iowa in 1996. She served as an Assistant Johnson County Attorney from 1996 through 2001 and has been in...

Magistrate Hammond was appointed to serve Linn County in 2017. He received his B.A. in History from the University of Iowa and his J.D., with distinction, from the University Of Iowa College Of Law in 1984. He was an Assistant Linn County Attorney from 1984 -1987 and a staff attorney...

Magistrate Ann Kuhter was appointed to serve Tama County in 1997. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1986. Magistrate Kuhter is the last non-attorney Magistrate to serve in the state of Iowa.

Magistrate Leinen was appointed to serve Iowa County in 1993. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Iowa State University in 1979 and graduated from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1982. He has been in private practice in Marengo and North English since 1982. He is...

Magistrate O'Brien Licht, Cedar Rapids, was appointed to serve Linn County September 18, 2006. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Iowa in 1991. She received her law degree from the University of Northern Ohio in 1995 and MBA from the University of Northern Iowa in 1999. She...

Magistrate Neary was appointed to serve Johnson County in 2022. Prior to that he served Muscatine County as a Magistrate since 2017. He earned his B.A. in finance from the University of Iowa in 1985 and then graduated from the University of Iowa with his Juris Doctorate in 1988. He...

Magistrate Smolik was appointed to serve Iowa County on August 1, 2009. She received her B.A. from the University of Iowa in 2000 and her graduate degree from Vermont Law School in 2003.

Magistrate Thomas was appointed to serve Johnson County in June 2013. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1996. Prior to his appointment in 2013, he maintained a private law practice in...