Tabitha Turner
IA · District Associate Judge, Iowa Judicial District 5C
Tabitha Turner has been a district associate judge in Polk County since 2019. Before that, she ran her own law firm, handling criminal defense, family law, and mediation cases.
Track record
Track record — General
General · 2 records
Had her orders set aside by the Iowa Supreme Court in a 5-2 decision (State v. Pagliai). The court ruled that judges have no legal power to charge a defendant court costs in cases that were dismissed, even when his plea deal called for it.
January 9, 2026
Source: iowacourts.gov
Was retained as a Polk County district associate judge by voters on November 3, 2020, with 115,595 votes for keeping her and 39,164 against.
November 3, 2020
Source: sos.iowa.gov
Track record — Legal Competence
Legal Competence · 1 favorable
Was rated by Iowa lawyers in the Iowa State Bar Association's 2020 judicial review. 100% of the 166 lawyers who rated her said she should be kept on the bench, and they scored her knowledge of the law 4.54 out of 5.
September 28, 2020Favorable on Legal Competence
Source: nebula.wsimg.com
Past race Tabitha Turner ran in:
- Shall Tabitha Turner be retained in office as a District 5C District Associate Judge? · November 3, 2026 · Polk County, Iowa · incumbent