All of the justices on the Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals were reelected during the Nov. 3 election.

The members in the Iowa Supreme Court who were reelected are Chief Justice Susan Christensen (71.44 percent yes), Justice Edward Mansfield (66.14 percent yes), Justice Christopher McDonald (68.33 percent yes) and Justice Thomas Waterman (66.38 percent yes). Their terms are going to last eight years.

Reelected to the Iowa Court of Appeals are Chief Judge Thomas Bower (72.75 percent yes), Judge David May (71.68 percent yes), Judge Julie Schumacher (75.96 percent yes) and Justice Sharon Soorholtz Greer (74.24 percent yes). Their terms are going to last six years.

Both The Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals have considerable power in the justice system. They are the two highest courts in the state of Iowa that handle special cases. They can create rules specifically for the state of Iowa, and their decisions are final.

The Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals have a different way of electing officials. At first, the judge is appointed by the governor. Their first term is essentially a one-year trial. After that year is over, the voters vote yes or no on the candidate. If the majority of voters vote yes, then that candidate would be reelected for another term if they wish to hold their position. The opposite would happen if they were voted out. If there is a vacancy in either court, the commission makes a list of three other candidates, and the governor chooses which one they think would be the best fit.

The Iowa Supreme Court is what is called an appellate court. An appellate court is when the court reviews another case that has been appealed. They don’t rely on witnesses or new evidence. Instead, they look at the trial’s written record and determine if there were any legal errors in the trial. They are the highest level of court in the state of Iowa; they control every other legal person in the state of Iowa. The decisions they make are final. The Iowa Court of Appeals is an intermediate appellate court. Essentially, they do the same things as the Iowa Supreme Court. The only difference is the cases they receive are usually given to them by the Iowa Supreme Court. Once again, the decisions they make are final unless they are overruled by the Iowa Supreme Court. The majority of appeal cases are handled by the Iowa Court of Appeals.