DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Fifteen people have applied to fill the Iowa Supreme Court vacancy that will occur when Justice David Wiggins retires in mid-March, Iowa court officials said Wednesday.
Each of the 15 applicants will get 20 minutes in which they’ll be interviewed by the Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission on March 6 in the Supreme Court Courtroom in Des Moines. The public is invited to observe the interviews, which also will be live-streamed on the Iowa Judicial Branch YouTube channel. The commission will also take written comments from the public until the end of business on March 4.
Immediately following the interviews, the commission will begin deliberations to select a slate of three nominees to forward to Gov. Kim Reynolds for consideration. Reynolds will then have 30 days to appoint a new justice.
The 17-member commission is made up of eight commissioners elected by lawyers licensed to practice in Iowa, and nine commissioners appointed by the governor.
Wiggins’ departure gives Reynolds an opportunity to replace one of the two remaining Democratic appointees on the seven-member court. Wiggins was appointed by Democratic Gov. Tom Vilsack in 2003, and was named acting chief justice in November after the unexpected death in November of Chief Justice Mark Cady.
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