Spirit Lake woman elected Iowa Court of Appeals chief judge

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has elected Judge Gayle Nelson Vogel, of Spirit Lake, as the court’s chief judge.

Vogel has served on the court since 1996 and is the ninth chief judge since the state legislature established the Iowa Court of Appeals in 1976. She replaces Chief Judge David Danilson, who recently retired.

Vogel was born in Rockford, Illinois, and graduated cum laude from Rockford College in 1971 and Drake University Law School in 1983. Following law school, she worked in private practice in Knoxville.

Vogel is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and the Iowa Judges Association and was instrumental in developing rules to expedite appeals in child dependency cases. She currently serves as co-chair of the Judicial Technology Committee.