Des Moines, Iowa — The Iowa Court of Appeals has elected a Spirit Lake woman as chief judge of that court.
Judge Gayle Nelson Vogel of Spirit Lake has served on the court of appeals since 1996. She is the ninth chief judge since the state legislature established the Iowa Court of Appeals in 1976. She replaces Chief Judge David Danilson, who recently retired.
Chief Judge Vogel says that it is with great humility that she accepted the position of Chief Judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals. She says she appreciates working with “such a dedicated and hard-working group of judges and staff.”
The Iowa Court of Appeals is a nine-member, intermediate appellate court. It reviews appeals from trial court decisions that the supreme court has transferred to the court of appeals. A decision of the Iowa Court of Appeals is final unless reviewed by the Iowa Supreme Court on a grant of further review. The majority of appeals filed in Iowa are decided by the court of appeals, with 1,223 opinions filed in 2018.
In addition to day-to-day judicial duties, the Chief Judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals supervises the business of the court, presides when present at a session of the court, and serves on the judicial council. Chief Judge Vogel will carry these duties and continue to review cases and author opinions.
