Supreme Court removes Fayette County Magistrate Judge
April 18th, 2025 by Ric Hanson
(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has removed a Magistrate Judge in Fayette County after determining he showed racial bias and a lack of impartiality. The Supreme Court says the removal of Magistrate David Hanson comes after he issued a denial of an arrest warrant that included his own disparaging views about young male victims of sexual assault. He also made statements in open court in another case using a derogatory racial slur about a criminal defendant.
The Supreme Court says Magistrate Hanson was not self-aware, and defended his inappropriate actions throughout the Iowa Commission on Judicial Qualification’s investigation. It says after careful consideration, the justices conclude that Hanson is unsuited to be a judge, and no attempts at behavior modification are going to change that significantly.

