Sixth District Judge Fae Hoover-Grinde will now preside over the case of a former University of Iowa vice president for Student Services, court documents show.

The assignment comes after 6th District Judge Ian Thornhill ruled on Monday that his impartiality could be reasonably questioned because of employment inquiries he made to the UI in the summer and fall of 2008, before his appointment to the bench.

Former UI Vice President Phillip Jones filed a lawsuit against the university, UI President Sally Mason, and the state Board of Regents alleging wrongful termination, defamation, and due-process violation in June 2009.

Mason terminated Jones in September 2008 for what she labeled the mishandling of a sexual-assault case allegedly involving two football players.

— by Hayley Bruce