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Linn County assistant prosecutor appointed next 6th Judicial District judge
His current boss says he is ‘honest, intelligent, possesses immense legal knowledge’
Jan. 22, 2024 4:54 pm, Updated: Jan. 23, 2024 8:12 am
DES MOINES — Gov. Kim Reynolds last week appointed an assistant Linn County prosecutor as the next district judge of the 6th Judicial District Court.
Assistant Linn County Attorney Mike Harris, of Iowa City, will fill the vacancy created when Judge Fae Hoover retired earlier this month after serving 20 years on the bench. Harris received his undergraduate from the University of Iowa and his law degree from UI College of Law.
Harris, 43, has been a nominee previously, which isn’t unusual for those applying for the open positions. Many apply more than once before being nominated by the commission.
“I’m honored that Governor Reynolds selected me and I look forward to serving the citizens of the 6th Judicial District,” he said.
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said all the prosecutors and staff in the office are “thrilled” for him and wish him the best in his future role on the bench.
“Mike is honest, intelligent, confident and possesses immense legal knowledge,” Maybanks noted. “He will be an excellent judge.”
Maybanks said Harris climbed the ranks fairly quickly in the office, moving up from misdemeanor prosecutors to felonies before turning 40, and “racking up some impressive trial successes including working alongside me in the prosecution of Jerry Burns” in the 1979 cold case fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Michelle Martinko.
Harris started as a Linn County prosecutor in 2015. He previously had been a judicial law clerk and in private practice.
The 6th Judicial District includes Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Tama counties. The position pays $158,056 a year.
Comments: (319) 398-8318; trish.mehaffey@thegazette.com
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