(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch.
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House Judiciary chair calls for investigation into alleged judge misconduct

['Katie Akin', 'More From Author', '- February']

Date: 2022-02


State Rep. Steven Holt is calling for an investigation into an Iowa judge accused of improper conduct during a judicial nomination process.

District Judge Kurt Stoebe served as assistant chief judge in Iowa’s 2B district, which covers north-central Iowa. While serving on a nominating committee to fill a vacancy in the district, Stoebe was accused of disparaging several of the applicants, potentially tainting the process.

Stoebe resigned from the nominating commission and the process began again, ultimately yielding the same top finalists. Stoebe also resigned from his position as assistant chief judge, though he still serves as a district judge.

Holt, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, announced Wednesday his intent to launch an investigation into Stoebe’s behavior during the nomination process.

“If, in fact, these allegations are true, the implications go well beyond just the nominating commission and call into question the integrity of the bench,” Holt, R-Denison, said. “If indeed a judge is willing to commit these acts in order to advance their favored candidate … how can an attorney or a citizen come before this judge and have faith in the integrity of the process?”

Stoebe declined to comment about the potential investigation.

Holt said confidentiality rules in the judicial branch prevented him from accessing many of the details about the nominating committee incidents. Conducting an investigation, he said, would allow the legislative branch to issue subpoenas and access more information.

“We believe that our subpoenas and our investigation will trump those confidentiality requirements,” Holt said.

Holt emphasized the investigation was not an indictment of Stoebe, just a “pursuit of information.” Holt said he had not contacted the judicial branch about his concerns until he informed them about his intention to investigate.

— Jared Strong contributed to this report.

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