Iowa Supreme Court Justice David May, other judges on track to be retained, results show

All Iowa judges up for retention votes Tuesday, including Supreme Court Justice David May, appeared on track to receive new terms based on unofficial results Tuesday evening.

Under Iowa law, judges are appointed by the governor and then subject to periodic retention elections. All Iowans can vote on appellate judges, while district judges appear on ballots in their respective districts. In Tuesday's election, voters were asked whether to retain dozens of state judges, including four judges on the Iowa Court of Appeals and one Iowa Supreme Court justice, May.

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It was the first retention vote for May, appointed to the Supreme Court in 2022. In his first two years on the court, May has been involved in a number of high-profile cases, most notably ruling in favor of Iowa's six-week abortion ban.

As of 10:40 p.m., May had a lead of 62.5% in favor of retention to 37.5% opposed, with almost 80% of precincts statewide reporting. That result, if unchanged, would give him a slightly narrower win than two Supreme Court justices who won retention in 2022 with about 67% support.

Learn more: Your Iowa Voter Guide 2024

Also up for retention were Judges Tyler Buller, Mary Elizabeth Chicchelly, Samuel Langholz and Chief Judge Mary Ellen Tabor of the Iowa Court of Appeals, the state's intermediate appellate court. Tabor has served on the court since 2010, Chicchelly since 2021, Buller since 2022 and Langholz since 2023.

As of Tuesday evening, all appeared on track to be retained by wide margins.

What to Know: Iowa judges up for reelection in 2024

Most voters also had one or more local district and associate judges on their ballots, with 64 around the state up for retention. That includes eight judges in District 5C, which covers Polk County.

Early results posted by the Iowa Secretary of State showed all district and associate judges also with wide leads.

Iowans have traditionally voted to grant new terms to nearly all judges, with the notable exception of three Iowa Supreme Court justices who lost their seats after a landmark ruling establishing a constitutional right to gay marriage in 2009.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at [email protected] or 715-573-8166.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Supreme Court Justice May, other judges ahead in retention vote