Chief Justice Marsha K. Ternus
Chief Justice Ternus, Des Moines, has
served on the Iowa Supreme Court since 1993.
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.
Chief Justice Ternus is a native of
Vinton, Iowa. 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.
Before joining the supreme court,
Chief Justice Ternus worked in the private practice of law in the Des Moines
firm of Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor and Fairgrave. 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.
She also served as president of the Board of Counselors of Drake University Law
School.
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. She served as the judicial branch representative on the IOWAccess
Advisory Council, on the judicial team that oversaw the design, development and
construction of the Judicial Branch Building, on the steering committee of the
Iowa Supreme Court Commission on Planning for the 21st Century and 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.
Chief Justice Ternus currently
serves on the Board of Directors of the Conference of Chief Justices, as a
member of the Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction, and
as a member of the American Bar Association's Bar Admissions Committee.
Chief Justice Ternus' current term
of office expires December 31, 2010.
