DES MOINES– Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced her appointment of David May, 51, as a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court at the Iowa State Capitol. May fills a vacancy left by the retirement of Justice Brent Appel on July 13, when he turned 72, the mandatory retirement age for Iowa’s judiciary.
The State Judicial Nominating Commission interviewed five candidates for the vacancy and nominated May along with Judge Alan Heavens of Garnavello, a District Court Judge in the First Judicial District, and William Miller, an attorney with Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Des Moines, for Reynolds to consider.
May, of Polk City, received his law degree from Drake University Law School, he earned a Masters in Public Health from the University of Oklahoma, and his undergraduate degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He has served on the Iowa Court of Appeals since 2019. May also served as a district judge in the Fifth Judicial District after his appointment by former Governor Terry Branstad in 2016. Before serving in the judicial branch, May was an attorney with Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor, and Fairgrave P.C. in Des Moines from 2001-2016.
May is a member of Polk City United Methodist Church, a board member of the New Pioneer Gun Club, member of the Iowa Judges Association, and Iowa Bar Association. He also serves as the co-chair of the Iowa Supreme Court Committee on Technology and Iowa Rules of Appellate Appeal Task Force.
“David May is a an exceptional judge with a considerable amount of experience which will make him a great addition to the Iowa Supreme Court,” said Gov. Reynolds. “Judge May has earned a reputation as a gifted legal mind, has proven that he’s firmly committed to the rule of law, and approaches the law fairly and impartially.”
Judge May is the governor’s fifth appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court. After Justice Appel’s retirement there are no justices appointed by a Democrat governor left on the court.
