News Release
August 26,
2009
Contact: Steve
Davis, Court Communications Officer, (515)725-8058
Grady
Named Chief Judge of Sixth Judicial District
Des
Moines, August 26, 2009—Chief
Justice Marsha Ternus has appointed District Judge Patrick R. Grady, Cedar
Rapids, as chief judge of the Sixth Judicial District. Judge Grady
succeeds Judge David Remley who will retire September 15, 2009.
"Judge
Grady's extensive experience as a judge at several levels provides him with the
knowledge and abilities needed to be an effective chief judge," Chief
Justice Ternus said. "His experience goes beyond his work on the bench. He
has played a significant leadership role in many statewide projects for the
courts, most recently working on our efforts to make the courts more accessible
for people who choose to represent themselves. In these difficult times it is
more important than ever to make it easier for people to navigate through the
courts on their own."
Judge Grady
received a bachelor's degree from Creighton University, Omaha, in 1975 and a
law degree from the University of Iowa Law School in 1979. Judge Grady was
appointed to the bench in 1989 when he began serving as Juvenile
Referee/Associate Juvenile Judge. He was appointed as a District Judge in
1995. Prior to his appointment, he served as a state appellate defender, Linn
County public defender, and practiced law with a private firm.
"It is
an honor and a challenge to be selected as Chief Judge and have the opportunity
to follow up on the great work done by Judge David Remley," Judge Grady
said. "I appreciate the trust being placed in me by Chief Justice Ternus and I
plan to work hard to address the difficulties presented by this economic
climate and to make the courts accessible to all."
Judge Grady
has served on task forces in the areas of permanency planning and
adoption. He has been a continuing legal education instructor in the areas
of ethics, criminal law and juvenile law. He has chaired the Linn County
Magistrate Nominating Commission since 2003. Most recently, he has
co-chaired the joint IJA/ISBA task force on pro se litigation and the Supreme
Court Pro Se Family Law Forms Committee.
As chief
judge, Judge Grady 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, designate presiding
judges, and serve on the judicial council, which advises the supreme court on
administrative matters affecting the trial courts. In addition, he will
continue to preside over cases.
The Sixth
Judicial District is located in east central Iowa and is comprised of six
counties: Benton, Iowa, Johnson, Jones, Linn, and Tama. The district has 13
district judges, seven district associate judges, one associate juvenile judge,
17 part-time magistrates, and 174 employees, with an operating budget for the
current fiscal year of approximately $16,569,73.
A total of 123,902 cases were filed in the Sixth District last year.
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2009
Iowa
Supreme Court
1111
East Court Avenue
Des
Moines, IA 50319
515-281-3952
