Hunter
04/19/25
A Fayette County magistrate judge who was recommended for suspension was instead removed from the bench after an argumentative hearing with the Iowa Supreme Court.
David Hanson, an attorney with nearly 40 years of experience who was appointed in 2022 to a four-year term, was the subject of two complaints.
The Des Moines Register reports the first, in August 2022, objected to the way he rejected an arrest warrant for a 17-year-old girl accused of sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy. Hanson said he found the allegation “absurd” because teenage boys naturally want to have sex with girls and that the complainant “welcomed the advance and both freely consented and actively participated in the sex acts.”
Then during a July 2023 court hearing, a prosecuting intern reported that Hanson referred to a Hispanic defendant with an ethnic slur. During arguments before the court, Hanson told the justices he had not realized the term in question was derogatory, and suggested the judicial commission provide him with a list of forbidden terms that he could avoid.
An ethics commission recommended that Hanson be suspended without pay for 90 days, but after the hearing, the Supreme Court removed him from the bench entirely citing his lack of self-awareness and contrition when questioned on his actions.
In Friday’s unanimous decision, Justice Dana Oxley wrote about the racial slur, saying, “Magistrate Hanson’s inability to recognize the derogatory effect of his choice of words also raises serious concerns about his ability to impartially preside over a case involving minorities, particularly those charged as a criminal defendant.”