Iowa has a unique way of selecting its judges and Supreme Court justices. Instead of electing them, the jurists are selected by a process that examines their legal knowledge, experience and writing skills.

There are panels called Judicial Nominating Commissions that review the qualifications of lawyers seeking to become judges. Those commissions then submit names to the governor, who picks one of those individuals to fill a position on the bench.

There is a commission for each of the 14 judicial districts in the state. Obviously, members of those commissions fulfill a key role in Iowa’s judicial system.

Fort Dodge is fortunate to have one of its residents recently appointed to the District 2B Judicial Nominating Commission by Gov. Kim Reynolds. Kate Stucky, who is the director of operations and finance for St. Edmond Catholic School and Holy Trinity Parish, was just named to that panel.

Stucky described her new position as exciting, but also an enormous responsibility. It is a responsibility she is willingly taking on in addition to her full-time job and raising her family.

Fort Dodge and Iowa are fortunate to have people willing to step forward and take on such responsibilities.

And make no mistake, there will be a lot of work involved in this commission post.

The panel is charged with screening candidates for district judge, district associate judge, associate juvenile judge and associate probate judge vacancies.

The commission Stucky is now part of covers Boone, Calhoun, Carroll, Greene, Hamilton, Hardin, Humboldt, Marshall, Pocahontas, Sac, Story, Webster and Wright counties.

So the commission is responsible for four types of judges in 13 counties.

That is the challenge facing Stucky and her fellow commission members.

We thank her for stepping up to take on this challenge.