The United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa (in case citations, N.D. Iowa) has jurisdiction over fifty-two of Iowa's ninety-nine counties. It is subject to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals (except for patent claims and claims against the U.S. government under the Tucker Act, which are appealed to the Federal Circuit).
Presently, the court has two district judges, Chief Judge Leonard T. Strand and Judge C. J. Williams, one senior judge, Linda R. Reade, and two magistrate judges, Kelly Mahoney and Mark A. Roberts.
^Jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa.
^From 1978–1990, Judge O’Brien was jointly appointed to the Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa.
Chief judges
Chief judges have administrative responsibilities with respect to their district court. Unlike the Supreme Court, where one justice is specifically nominated to be chief, the office of chief judge rotates among the district court judges. To be chief, a judge must have been in active service on the court for at least one year, be under the age of 65, and have not previously served as chief judge.
A vacancy is filled by the judge highest in seniority among the group of qualified judges. The chief judge serves for a term of seven years, or until age 70, whichever occurs first. The age restrictions are waived if no members of the court would otherwise be qualified for the position.
When the office was created in 1948, the chief judge was the longest-serving judge who had not elected to retire, on what has since 1958 been known as senior status, or declined to serve as chief judge. After August 6, 1959, judges could not become or remain chief after turning 70 years old. The current rules have been in operation since October 1, 1982.
^"Meet the U.S. Attorney". www.justice.gov. February 1, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
^"U.S. Attorney Nomination Clouded". Washington Post. 2023-12-24. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^Lisa (2022-11-22). "Death of Charles Larson, Sr". National Association of Former United States Attorneys. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^"Charles W. Larson Sr. — Department of Justice". Congress.gov. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
^"Office of Public Affairs | Department of Justice Announces Matt Dummermuth to Head the Office of Justice Programs | United States Department of Justice". www.justice.gov. 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^"USDOJ: Executive Office for United States Attorneys". web.archive.org. 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
