Leaders of The Iowa State Bar Association expressed disappointment that the three supreme court justices were not retained in this year’s retention election.

However, they stated that they respect the decision by voters. Retention elections are an important part of Iowa’s merit system of selecting judges.

They also expressed confidence that Iowa’s judges and justices “will continue to focus on the law and not allow political influence and campaign money to impact the decisions they make in resolving disputes the people of Iowa may bring before them,” said Frank Carroll, ISBA president.

“If, however, the results of this election encourage future big-money retention battles, Iowans risk fostering a perception, perhaps even the reality, that politically influential parties or large campaign contributors will have an unfair advantage in Iowa’s courtrooms,” Carroll said. “Big money campaigns will likely also discourage many highly qualified lawyers from becoming judges.”

A total of 71 judges and three supreme court justices were on this year’s retention ballot. The three justices, in particular, have been subjected to an intense vote-no media campaign funded in large part by out-of-state groups.

Political influence and campaign money have no place in Iowa’s courts, Carroll said.

“We ask Iowans, however they may have voted, to work with us to prevent these negative results in the future,” he said.

“We also thank our dedicated judges and justices for their service to our state. In addition, we thank all those who worked on helping educate Iowans about the role of the courts and Iowa’s merit selection and retention system.”

The Iowa State Bar Association is a voluntary organization of more than 8,000 lawyers and judges who are licensed to practice law in the state of Iowa. Oldest of the voluntary bar associations in the country, The ISBA has been in continuous operation since its founding in 1874.