District court Judge David Porter has been appointed chief judge of Iowa’s Fifth Judicial District. Porter will succeed Chief Judge Michael Huppert, who is retiring on Jan. 2. Porter will begin his new position on Jan. 3. Porter was appointed to the district court bench in October 2015. He received undergraduate degrees from the University of Maryland at College Park and a law degree from Drake University Law School in 2004. As chief judge, Porter will supervise all judicial officers and court employees in the district; supervise the performance of administrative and judicial business in the district; set the times and places of holding court; and designate presiding judges. The Fifth Judicial District includes Adair, Adams, Clarke, Dallas, Decatur, Guthrie, Jasper, Lucas, Madison, Marion, Polk, Ringgold, Taylor, Union, Warren and Wayne counties.