OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR   
Governor Kim Reynolds ★ Lt. Governor Adam Gregg   

   
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Friday, June 23, 2023   
CONTACT: Kollin Crompton, (515) 745-2840,  [email protected]  
   

Gov. Reynolds Appoints Michael Carpenter, Eric Nelson, and Patrick Smith as District Judges 

  
DES MOINES – Today, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her appointments of Michael Carpenter as a district judge in Judicial Election District 8A, Eric Nelson as a district judge in Judicial Election District 4, and Patrick Smith as a district judge in Judicial Election District 5C. 

 

Carpenter, of Ottumwa, Iowa, currently serves as attorney at Gaumer, Emmanuel, Carpenter & Goldsmith, P.C. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Northern Iowa and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law.  

 

Carpenter fills a vacancy created by the recent retirement of District Judge Lucy Gamon. Judicial Election District 8A includes Appanoose, Davis, Jefferson, Keokuk, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Wapello, Washington, and Van Buren counties.  

 

Nelson, of Council Bluffs, Iowa, currently serves as an Associate District Judge in Judicial Election District 4. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska and his law degree from the University of Oklahoma City University School of Law.  

 

Nelson fills a vacancy created by the retirement of District Judge Gregory W. Steensland. Judicial Election District 4 includes Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties. 

 

Smith of Des Moines, Iowa, currently serves as an attorney for Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. He received his undergraduate degree from Drake University and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law. 

 

Smith fills the vacancy created by the recent retirement of District Judge William P. Kelly. Judicial Election District 5C includes Polk County. 

 

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