UPDATES & ANALYSIS
Court of Appeals Judge David May elevated to Iowa Supreme Court by Governor Reynolds
Judge David May, who describes himself as a “regular person” who received “extraordinary blessings,” has risen to the pinnacle of the Iowa judicial system with his appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court July 27 by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
Judge May’s self description can be found in his application to the State Judicial Nominating Commission, who advanced his nomination to the governor after interviews with all five applicants for the opening created by the retirement of Justice Brent Appel.
A native of what he describes as a medium-size town in northeast Missouri, Judge May came to Iowa where he graduated with high honors from Drake Law School and worked in private practice for the Hawkins & Norris law firm and later for Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor & Fairgrave before becoming a trial judge in Polk County in 2016. Judge May was appointed by Governor Reynolds to the Iowa Court of Appeals in 2019.
In his 15 years at the Bradshaw firm, Judge May focused largely on civil litigation and insurance coverage work, including claims involving suspected arson and fraud.
In response to a question on the judicial application about significant legal matters he worked on, Judge May listed two cases involving insurance issues. A third case he cited was tried in federal court, initially brought by an inmate at the Fort Madison State Penitentiary representing himself before May was appointed pro bono counsel for the plaintiff. The inmate alleged his constitutional rights were violated by prison staff.
Although U.S. District Judge James Gritzner ultimately ruled against his client, Judge May said the experience changed his perspective on the corrections system.
“It opened my eyes to challenges faced by both by corrections staff and by prisoners,” he wrote. “It also reinforced the importance of our judicial system as a safeguard against violation of constitutional rights.”
Judge May, who lives in Polk City, is married with two young-adult children.
FEATURED POSTS
Iowa Constitution mandates face-to-face confrontation by witness, Iowa Supreme Court rules
A defendant’s right under the Iowa Constitution to confront witnesses at trial is not satisfied by one-way video testimony where the witness testifying on camera is not able to see the defendant, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a 4-3 ruling handed down June 28. In reaching that conclusion, the Court declined to follow a U.S. Supreme Court precedent and overruled one of its own prior rulings.
Iowa Court of Appeals April 2024 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. On April 11, 2024, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication, summarized below.
Closely divided Iowa Supreme Court finds challenges to abortion restrictions under Iowa constitution subject to rational-basis review, reverses injunction against “fetal heartbeat” law
In a 4-3 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court held that rational basis review is the applicable standard in addressing challenges to abortion restrictions under the Iowa constitution.
April 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in nine cases during April 2024. Opinions from April not covered elsewhere on the blog are summarized below.
EDITORIAL TEAM
ABOUT
On Brief: Iowa’s Appellate Blog is devoted to appellate litigation with a focus on the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.