"James Gritzner will be an excellent addition to the bench," Grassley said. "Iowans and our country will be well served by his extensive trial experience as well as his reputation for being fair and evenhanded. He has been an active member of the bar in Iowa and was responsible for maintaining the bar's ethical standards through his longstanding service as an ethics prosecutor."
Gritzner has been an attorney with the law practice of Nyemaster, Goode, Voigts, West, Hansell and O'Brien in Des Moines since 1982. From 1985 to 1990, he served as Counsel to the Committee on Professional Ethics and Conduct of the Iowa State Bar Association and Counsel to the Client Security and Attorney Disciplinary Commission on the Iowa Supreme Court. He received his law degree from Drake University Law School in 1979. He received a master's degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1974 and a bachelor's degree from Dakota Wesleyan University in 1969.
According to the White House Counsel's office, Gritzner's nomination will become official after all necessary background checks are completed. Confirmation proceedings in the Senate will follow the official announcement. Grassley is a member of the Judiciary Committee, which is responsible for overseeing judicial nominations through the confirmation process.
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa has three active judges. A full-time spot on the bench will be available in October when Judge Charles R. Wolle plans to assume senior judge status, which allows him to handle a smaller caseload.
Gritzner was one of the three nominees Grassley forwarded to the White House for consideration earlier this year.