Judge Mertz, Knoxville, was appointed to the bench in February 2002. She received her undergraduate degree from Northeast Missouri State University in 1974, and she graduated with honors from Drake University Law School in 1982. Judge Mertz is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association and the American Bar Association. She has received the ICADV Gold Seal Award in 1994, the Athena Award in 1989, the Rodney L. Hudson Appellate Advocacy Award in 1982, and the Order of Barristers in 1981. Judge Mertz is married.