2008 Woodie Awards
UI flavor for court nominees
Megan Stephenson - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 3/10/08 Section: Metro
The Iowa Supreme Court will keep its UI representation.
The State Judicial Nominating Committee nominated UI College of Law graduates Connie Alt, David Baker, and Thomas Waterman to the Iowa Supreme Court on March 7 to replace retiring Chief Justice Jerry Larson. Also a UI alum, Larson was appointed in 1978, and his 30-year tenure was the longest of any Supreme Court justice. He will end his duties May 17.
Alt, Baker, and Waterman were selected out of 17 applicants by the 14-person committee made up of lawyers elected by their peers and appointed citizens. Gov. Chet Culver now has 30 days to choose one of the three nominees. The Supreme Court justices serve eight-year terms, and stand for re-election after one year and every eight years afterwards.
The application process was "rigorous," Waterman said. All of the applicants filled out a detailed, written application and included letters of support. They were then interviewed by the nomination committee, chaired by Larson, and met on March 6 and 7 to review the applicants. They announced the three final nominations in the evening on the 7.
"It's a dream job," Waterman said. "The intellectual joys of a law professor but the real world impact of shaping Iowa's laws."
After receiving his judicial degree at the UI in 1984, Waterman began work at Lane & Waterman LLP in Davenport, where he is a fourth-generation attorney at the firm and is a partner.
Baker received a J.D. in 1979 and worked in private practice for 25 years in Cedar Rapids before applying to the 6th District court, which includes Linn and Johnson Counties, in 2004. In 2006, he was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
"Something has to be said [about] district judges on the Supreme Court" as opposed to attorneys, Baker said. "The view of the judicial system is different from the other side of the bench."
Alt graduated from the UI in 1985, and she is senior vice president at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll PLC in Cedar Rapids. She didn't return phone calls for comment on Sunday.
Both Baker and Waterman expressed admiration for all the nominees.
"Iowa is a small community," Baker said. "All the attorneys know each other. It makes this a little harder."
Baker and Waterman also said if chosen they would keep their current offices to stay close to their communities.
"It's important for Supreme Court justices to return to their home counties, to improve communication with the lower courts, the bar, and the public in general," Waterman said.
The UI College of Law has turned out 9,000 alumni since its founding in 1865. At present, 40 percent of its graduates practice law in Iowa.
E-mail DI reporter Megan Stephenson at:
megan-k-stephenson@uiowa.edu
The State Judicial Nominating Committee nominated UI College of Law graduates Connie Alt, David Baker, and Thomas Waterman to the Iowa Supreme Court on March 7 to replace retiring Chief Justice Jerry Larson. Also a UI alum, Larson was appointed in 1978, and his 30-year tenure was the longest of any Supreme Court justice. He will end his duties May 17.
Alt, Baker, and Waterman were selected out of 17 applicants by the 14-person committee made up of lawyers elected by their peers and appointed citizens. Gov. Chet Culver now has 30 days to choose one of the three nominees. The Supreme Court justices serve eight-year terms, and stand for re-election after one year and every eight years afterwards.
The application process was "rigorous," Waterman said. All of the applicants filled out a detailed, written application and included letters of support. They were then interviewed by the nomination committee, chaired by Larson, and met on March 6 and 7 to review the applicants. They announced the three final nominations in the evening on the 7.
"It's a dream job," Waterman said. "The intellectual joys of a law professor but the real world impact of shaping Iowa's laws."
After receiving his judicial degree at the UI in 1984, Waterman began work at Lane & Waterman LLP in Davenport, where he is a fourth-generation attorney at the firm and is a partner.
Baker received a J.D. in 1979 and worked in private practice for 25 years in Cedar Rapids before applying to the 6th District court, which includes Linn and Johnson Counties, in 2004. In 2006, he was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals.
"Something has to be said [about] district judges on the Supreme Court" as opposed to attorneys, Baker said. "The view of the judicial system is different from the other side of the bench."
Alt graduated from the UI in 1985, and she is senior vice president at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll PLC in Cedar Rapids. She didn't return phone calls for comment on Sunday.
Both Baker and Waterman expressed admiration for all the nominees.
"Iowa is a small community," Baker said. "All the attorneys know each other. It makes this a little harder."
Baker and Waterman also said if chosen they would keep their current offices to stay close to their communities.
"It's important for Supreme Court justices to return to their home counties, to improve communication with the lower courts, the bar, and the public in general," Waterman said.
The UI College of Law has turned out 9,000 alumni since its founding in 1865. At present, 40 percent of its graduates practice law in Iowa.
E-mail DI reporter Megan Stephenson at:
megan-k-stephenson@uiowa.edu
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