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FAIRFIELD, IOWA (AP) -- Press Release from Fairfield Arts and Convention Center

Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus will address the community and answer questions at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, October 25, in the Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts located at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, 200 N. Main St.

Chief Justice Ternus’ talk, “Courts and the Constitution,” will address the constitutional role of the Iowa courts and the critical importance of a fair and impartial judiciary in fulfilling that role.  The lecture is sponsored by the Jefferson County Bar Association and is free and open to the public.

Chief Justice Ternus is the first woman to serve as chief justice of Iowa’s highest court. She was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 1993 by Gov. Terry Branstad. Members of the court selected her as chief justice in 2006. Chief Justice Ternus, along with Justices David Baker and Michael Streit of the Iowa Supreme Court, are on the November 2, 2010 Iowa ballot regarding judicial retention.

A native of Iowa, Chief Justice Ternus grew up on a farm in northern Benton County. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her law degree from Drake University Law School. 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.       

In 2009, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Chief Justice Ternus to the Judicial Conference Committee on Federal-State Jurisdiction. She is one of only four state Supreme Court justices serving on the committee. Chief Justice Ternus also serves on the board of directors for the Conference of Chief Justices and is a member of the conference’s Courts, Children and Families Committee. She also chairs the conference’s Court Management Committee and its Resolutions Committee.

President Barack Obama recently nominated Chief Justice Ternus as a board member of the State Justice Institute, a federally funded non-profit corporation based in suburban Washington, D.C., that awards grants to the nation’s state courts.

In addition to her judicial duties, Chief Justice Ternus has worked on a number of court initiatives and efforts to improve the administration of justice and to improve court oversight of child welfare cases.

For more information on Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Ternus’ visit to Fairfield, contact the Rustin Lippincott at the Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, 641-472-2828.

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