Chief Justice Susan Christensen has appointed District Court Judge Craig Dreismeier of Council Bluffs as the new chief judge of the Fourth Judicial District. Judge Dreismeier will succeed Chief Judge Jeffrey Larson, who is set to retire on July 1, 2024. He will officially assume his new role on July 2, 2024.
“Judge Dreismeier and I served as judges together in the Fourth Judicial District for several years so I know him well and have no doubt that he will be an excellent chief judge,” Chief Justice Christensen stated. “He has all the qualifications needed for the job. He is smart, hardworking, thoughtful, and he gets along with everyone. He’ll be an outstanding leader for the district.”
Judge Dreismeier was appointed as a district court judge in 2018 after serving as a district associate judge from 2010 to 2018. Born in Omaha, Nebraska, he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1989 and received his law degree from Creighton University School of Law in 1992. From 1992 until 2010, he practiced privately and served as an assistant Pottawattamie County Attorney from 1995-1996. Judge Dreismeier is also a member of The Iowa State Bar Association.
“It is an honor to have been selected as the next Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District,” said Judge Dreismeier. “I’d like to thank Chief Justice Christensen and the justices of the Iowa Supreme Court for their confidence in this appointment. I’ve been truly humbled by the overwhelming support from my colleagues on the bench and from all the individuals who work within the Fourth Judicial District. Chief Judge Jeff Larson has set a high standard as chief in our district, and I want to thank him for his support and years of service in our district. I hope to keep pace with his high standards as we move forward.”
As chief judge, Judge Dreismeier will oversee all judicial officers and court employees within the district, manage administrative and judicial business operations, schedule court sessions, designate presiding judges, and serve on the judicial council which advises the supreme court on administrative matters affecting trial courts. Additionally, he will continue presiding over cases.
The Fourth Judicial District covers nine counties in southwest Iowa: Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby. The district comprises nine district judges, five district associate judges, eleven part-time magistrates, and employs a total of 127 staff members with an operating budget of approximately $12 million for this fiscal year. Last year saw a total of 51,992 cases filed within this jurisdiction.