Judge Gina Badding, a District Court judge in Judicial Election District 2B, was named one of three nominees by the Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission on June 25.

On Thursday, Reynolds announced Badding as her pick. Badding, of Carroll, will fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Richard H. Doyle, of Des Moines. Doyle is set to retire on Aug. 7.

Badding was appointed to the District Court bench in April 2019. In April 2021, she presided over the jury trial of Fort Dodge man Joshua Pendleton, who was convicted of first-degree murder by a Scott County jury after the trial venue was moved to Davenport. Pendleton was convicted of the October 2019 killing of the Rev. Al Henderson in Fort Dodge.

Badding previously worked as an associate attorney and partner in private law in Carroll, as well as a staff attorney for the Iowa Court of Appeals. She received her bachelor of arts degree in English and religion with honors from the University of Iowa in 2001, and later graduated with distinction from the U of I School of Law in 2004.

The Iowa Court of Appeals is Iowa’s intermediate appellate court. It is composed of nine judges and decides appeals from district courts across Iowa.

The other two nominees were Judge Joel Barrows, of Bettendorf, and Judge Mary Chicchelly, of Cedar Rapids.

The Iowa District Judicial Nominating Commission is expected to start procedures to fill the vacancy created by Badding’s appointment soon. According to the commission’s website, the commission has 60 days from receiving the vacancy notice from the Secretary of State to submit the names of two nominees to the governor.

District 2B includes Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Marshall, Pocahontas, Sac, Story, Webster and Wright counties.