Judge, Iowa Court of Appeals

John M. Sandy, of Spirit Lake, has served on the Iowa Court of Appeals since June 2024 and was an Iowa district court judge from March 2021². Before becoming a judge he was a first assistant public defender in Minnesota and managing partner of Sandy Law Firm, P.C.². He is on the November 3, 2026 ballot for a retention vote, where voters decide whether he stays on the court¹⁸.

• Judge, Iowa Court of Appeals, since June 2024²
• Iowa district court judge, appointed March 2021²
• First assistant public defender in Minnesota; shareholder and managing partner, Sandy Law Firm, P.C.²
• Undergraduate degrees, University of St. Thomas (2007); law degree, University of St. Thomas School of Law (2010)²
• Appointed to the Court of Appeals in June 2024. The nominating commission sent the governor five nominees, including Sandy, and the governor had 30 days to appoint⁴; the Judicial Branch announced that Gov. Kim Reynolds would administer his ceremonial oath at an October 23, 2024 investiture³. Under Iowa's merit system, judges are appointed by the governor from a list of applicants chosen by nonpartisan commissions and then stand for retention in a general election⁵. Because he was appointed in 2024, 2026 is his first retention vote, as appointed appellate judges stand for retention after their first year and again at the end of each term⁵.