(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has appointed her former legal counsel to the Iowa Court of Appeals. Samuel Langholz has been Chief Deputy Attorney General for the State of Iowa since Republican Brenna Bird took over as Iowa Attorney General in January. Langholz is a 2008 graduate of the University of Iowa Law School who clerked for a federal judge, then worked in private practice before serving in several roles in state government over the past 12 and a half years. He was a top lawyer in the Department of Inspections and Appeals and the State Public Defender before he joined the governor’s staff. In late 2020, Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller named Langholz Assistant Solicitor General.

Clear Lake native Sam Langholz, a 2008 UI Law School graduate. (UI photo)

Langholz, who lives in Ankeny, is a Clear Lake native. In written statements, Governor Reynolds called Langholz a committed public servant and Attorney General Brenna Bird said Langholz has a keen legal mind. Langholz is a member of the Federalist Society, a conservative group that has advised Reynolds on judicial appointments. Langholz unsuccessfully applied a district court judgeship in 2018 and for an opening on the Iowa Supreme Court in 2019.