Thomas D. Waterman

Waterman was one of three justices appointed by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad in 2011. In November 2010, Iowa voters had removed all three justices seeking reelection in response to the court unanimously legalizing same-sex marriage in Varnum v. Brien.^[5] Waterman is an elected member of the American Law Institute.^[2] He is the second member of his family to serve on the Iowa Supreme Court after Charles M. Waterman, who founded Lane & Waterman.^[6]

In 2019, Waterman spoke with state Representative Steven Holt, the floor manager of a bill to modify procedures for choosing judges and the chief justice's term.^[7] Michael Gartner reported that the bill was a "power grab" by Waterman and his allies, who lobbied the legislature and wanted Waterman to replace Mark Cady before his term expired.^[8] Unlike Cady, Waterman refused to disclose his contacts with legislators or recuse himself in the ensuing litigation.^[9][10] Waterman subsequently took part in a 4-2 decision to refer the case to the Iowa Court of Appeals, which dismissed the lawsuit 3–2 on standing grounds, following which the Iowa Supreme Court declined review.^[11][12][13]

• Iowa Judicial Branch page for Thomas D. Waterman at the Wayback Machine (archived 2015-09-24)

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