Chief Justice Marsha K. Ternus 

 

Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, Des Moines, was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 1993 by Governor Terry Branstad. The members of the court selected her as chief justice in 2006. She is the first woman to serve as chief justice of Iowa's highest court. As chief justice, she has made the improvement of court oversight of child welfare cases a priority for the Iowa Judicial Branch. To this end, Chief Justice Ternus led an effort to form and now chairs the State Children's Justice Council, which consists of representatives of the judicial branch, state agencies and private entities involved in the child welfare system. The council works collaboratively to institute reforms and improvements in the Iowa courts' processing of child welfare cases to minimize the time children spend in the foster care system. Chief Justice Ternus also served on the planning committee that organized a national summit on the protection of children in 2009. 

Chief Justice Ternus is a native of Iowa, growing up on a farm in northern Benton County and graduating from Vinton High School in 1969. She received her bachelor's degree with honors and high distinction, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Iowa in 1972. She earned her law degree with honors, Order of the Coif, from Drake University Law School in 1977. While at Drake, she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Drake Law Review. Chief Justice Ternus received an honorary degree from Iowa Wesleyan College in 2005 and an honorary degree from Simpson College in 2010. She is admitted to practice law in the State of Iowa and the State of Arizona.  

Before joining the supreme court, Chief Justice Ternus worked in the private practice of law in the Des Moines law firm of Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor and Fairgrave, with a primary emphasis on civil litigation and insurance law. While in private practice, she served as president of the Polk County Bar Association, on the Board of Governors of the Iowa State Bar Association, on the Iowa Jury Instructions Committee, and on the Board of Directors of the Polk County Legal Aid Society. Chief Justice Ternus also served as president of the Board of Counselors of Drake University Law School and on the Drake Law School Endowment Board of Directors. She is a recipient of the Drake University Law School Outstanding Alumnus Award.  Prior to joining the court, Chief Justice Ternus served several years on the Board of Directors of the Central Iowa Chapter of the American Red Cross and was a participant in the 1983-1984 Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute. 
 

In addition to her judicial duties, Chief Justice Ternus has worked on a number of court initiatives and other efforts to improve the administration of justice in addition to her work on behalf of children involved in the child welfare system. She served as the judicial branch representative on the IOWAccess Advisory Council, which was instrumental in encouraging and guiding e-government projects. She also served on the judicial team that oversaw the design, development and construction of the Judicial Branch Building. Chief Justice Ternus was a member of the steering committee of the Iowa Supreme Court Commission on Planning for the 21st Century and served as co-chair of the commission's administration team. She also served on the Multi-State Performance Test Policy Committee of the National Conference of Bar Examiners and chaired the Law School Task Force of the Drake University National Commission II. 

Chief Justice Ternus currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices and is a member of the Conference's Courts, Children and Families Committee. In addition, she chairs the Conference's Court Management Committee and its Resolutions Committee. In 2009, United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Chief Justice Ternus to the Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction, where she is one of only four state supreme court justices serving on the committee. Chief Justice Ternus is also a member of the American Bar Association's Bar Admissions Committee and participates in the C. Edwin Moore Inn of the American Inns of Court. 

Chief Justice Ternus is married, and she and her husband have three children. The family is a member of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in West Des Moines.