Iowa Judges Appear Set for Retention
Unofficial results Tuesday evening showed all Iowa judges up for retention on track to receive new terms.
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Iowa Criminal Justice News
Criminal justice in Iowa runs through courts, prosecutors, county jails and state prisons, and coverage here follows all of it. Reporting takes in sentencing, bail, prosecution decisions and reform legislation at the state level.
Recent news
October 27, 2026
Northwest Iowa Judges to Seek Retention on November 3The Iowa State Bar Association has released performance survey results for judges appearing on the upcoming ballot.
October 23, 2026
Iowa Supreme Court Hears Dylan Brown Prison AppealThe court appointed the State Appellate Defender to represent the defendant following his 58-year prison sentence.
October 14, 2026
Eighth Circuit Affirmed Felon Firearm SentenceThe appeals court upheld a sentence for a felon in possession of a weapon after ruling any calculation errors were harmless.
October 13, 2026
Iowa Bar Association Published Judicial ReviewsThe association released performance ratings for state judges ahead of upcoming retention elections.
October 9, 2026
Iowa Will Reduce Number of Magistrates Next YearThe state court system plans to decrease the count of judicial magistrates beginning in 2027.
October 7, 2026
Iowa Man Sentenced to 50 Years for Infant DeathNolan Wilson received a 50-year prison sentence following the death of a 2-month-old child in his care.
October 2, 2026
Iowa Supreme Court Suspended Attorney Warren PolsonThe court issued a 30-day suspension after the attorney practiced law while his license was already inactive.
September 30, 2026
Willems and Bird Will Face Iowa Attorney General RaceCandidates Nate Willems and Brenna Bird are vying for the Iowa Attorney General seat in the upcoming election.
September 25, 2026
Iowa Appeals Court Upheld Vehicular Homicide ConvictionThe court affirmed a conviction for a 2021 Bremer County crash that killed a 27-year-old passenger.
September 23, 2026
8th Circuit Affirmed Iowa Felon Firearms SentenceThe federal appeals court rejected a challenge to a sentencing enhancement linked to police interference.
Day to day, that means trial courts and appeals, charging decisions, bail and pretrial rules, and conditions inside state correctional facilities. Coverage reaches from the capital at Des Moines to the rural counties where a single courthouse handles every case. Prison capacity and the lawsuits that follow it recur more often than any single verdict. Staffing shortages in corrections and public defense are the constraints behind many of the state's justice stories.