Iowa Supreme Court takes Northeast Iowa Magistrate Off the Bench

The Iowa Supreme Court has removed a Northeast Iowa Magistrate Judge after determining he showed racial bias and a lack of impartiality.

The Supreme Court says the removal of Fayette County 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 criminal defendant.

The Supreme Court says Hanson was not self-aware and defended his inappropriate actions throughout the Iowa Commission on Judicial Qualification’s investigation. It says after careful consideration, the justices conclude that Hanson is unsuited to be a judge, and no attempts at behavior modification are going to change that significantly.

*Radio Iowa contributed to this story