Voters cast their ballots in the 2024 general election at Plymouth United Church of Christ polling location in Des Moines on Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa Supreme Court Justice David May and all other judges who were up for a retention vote in Iowa’s 2024 general election will stay on the bench, according to unofficial results.
May, four Court of Appeals judges and 64 district court judges were on Iowans’ ballots in the Tuesday election for a vote on whether they should remain in office. With data in from all 99 Iowa counties, the Iowa Secretary of State’s website shows all judges who appeared on this year’s ballot have survived the retention process by getting a simple majority, 50% approval, and will remain in their current positions.
Heading into the 2024 election, there were some concerns about whether May could face political backlash for the Iowa Supreme Court’s ruling allowing the state six-week abortion ban to take effect. May, alongside Justices Matthew McDermott, Christopher McDonald and Dana Oxley, supported lifting the injunction on the law that prohibits abortions after cardiac activity is detectable in a fetus. Chief Justice Susan Christensen, as well as Justices Edward Mansfield and Thomas Waterman, dissented.
According to Iowa Secretary of State’s office results, 63% of votes cast supported May retaining his position.
The other judges on Iowans’ ballots were also retained by significant margins. Appeals judge Tyler Buller earned 68% approval for retention; Judge Mary Chicchelly, 69%; Judge Samuel Langholz, 64%, and Chief Judge Mary Tabor 70% in the election, as of data updated Thursday morning.
The Iowa State Bar Association had recommended all judges on the ballot in 2024 be retained, releasing a Judicial Performance Review where association members rated the judges on their performance based on professional interactions.
The judicial retention process has been in place since 1962 when the state moved from judicial elections to appointments. Though the retention vote is a part of elections, Guy Cook with the Iowa State Bar Association said the process is not meant to be political, but a means to oust judges who are not competently performing their duties when necessary.