Iowa Supreme Court removes Fayette County magistrate over slurs, stereotypes

Supreme Court takes Fayette County magistrate off the bench - Radio Iowa

The Iowa Supreme Court has removed a Magistrate Judge in Fayette County after determining he showed racial bias and a lack of impartiality. The Supreme Court says the removal of Magistrate David Hanson comes after he issued a denial of an arrest warrant that included his own disparaging views about young male victims of sexual […]

Iowa Supreme Court removes Fayette County magistrate over slurs, stereotypes

Iowa Supreme Court: 'We cannot overemphasize how inappropriate it was for Magistrate Hanson to use the slur – in open court – in reference to a Hispanic criminal defendant.'

Magistrate removed from the bench for use of slur, handling of sexual assault case

Magistrate David J. Hanson addresses the Iowa Supreme Court on March 27, 2025. (Video capture courtesy of the Iowa Supreme Court) The Iowa Supreme Court has removed from the bench a magistrate who questioned the veracity of an alleged sexual assault victim because he was a teenage male and asked whether a defendant in a separate case was a “wetback.” Magistrate David J. Hanson, who is based in Fayette County and has practiced law for more than 3…

Fayette County judge removed by Iowa Supreme Court

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…

Supreme Court removes Fayette County Magistrate Judge

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has removed a Magistrate Judge in Fayette County after determining he showed racial bias and a lack of impartiality. The Supreme Court says the removal of Magistrate David Hanson comes after he issued a denial of an arrest warrant that included his own disparaging views about young male victims of sexual assault. He also made statements in open court in another case using a derogatory racial slur about a cri…