Sep 17, 2019
Alan Heavens
The Workings of an Iowa District Court

DRC Sponsor: John Anderson

Alan Heavens is the newest district court judge serving Iowa Judicial District 1A (which encompasses Allamakee, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, and Winneshiek counties). He plans on sharing his background and experiences as well as his current responsibilities as a district court judge.

Nearly all cases begin in the district (trial) court and there is one district court in every county in Iowa. The district court has general jurisdiction of civil, criminal, juvenile, and probate matters in the state. It is where parties start their lawsuits, prosecutors file criminal charges, trials take place, lawyers offer evidence, witnesses testify, juries deliberate, and judges enter judgments. For purposes of administration, Iowa is divided into eight judicial districts. A Chief Judge, selected by the Iowa Supreme Court, oversees each district.