Defense lawyer, prosecutor chosen as nominees for Sixth Judicial District seat

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Sixth Judicial District Nominating Commission selected a Cedar Rapids defense attorney and an Iowa City prosecutor on Thursday as nominees for the vacant district judge position.

The nominees, Mike Lahammer and Assistant Johnson County Attorney Andrew Chappell, are to be forwarded to Gov. Terry Branstad, who is to appoint one as the next district judge.

There were 19 applicants who interviewed for the job on Thursday.

The judgeship has been vacant for six months based on statewide budget constraints, created when Judge Robert Sosalla retired in July. Sosalla has taken senior status.

Lahammer, 57, of Mount Vernon, has been in private criminal defense practice with Lahammer Law Firm since 2002. He handles criminal cases in state and federal courts. Lahammer also litigates some civil cases, such as personal injury and employment law.

Before private practice, Lahammer was the court operations officer for the U.S. District Court from 1993 to 2002, and for the first two years was a courtroom deputy for then U.S. District Judge Michael Melloy.  

Lahammer earned his bachelor's degree from Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., in 1991, and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1993.    

Chappell, 44, of Iowa City, has been an assistant Johnson County prosecutor in the civil division since 2000. Before being a prosecutor, he was in private practice from 1997 to 2000 with Phelen, Tucker, Mullen, Walker, Tucker and Gelman in Iowa City. He handled civil work.

Chappell earned his bachelor's degree from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1994 and his law degree from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1997.

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