Susan Christensen
Susan Christensen | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office February 24, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | David Wiggins (Acting) |
| Associate Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court | |
| Assumed office September 21, 2018 | |
| Appointed by | Kim Reynolds |
| Preceded by | Bruce B. Zager |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 27, 1962 Harlan, Iowa, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Education | Judson University (BA) Creighton University (JD) |
Susan Larson Christensen[1] (born April 27, 1962) is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the Iowa Supreme Court since 2018 and as the chief justice since 2020.
Education
[edit]Christensen received an undergraduate degree in psychology from Judson University, where she was valedictorian and graduated with highest honors. She then received a Juris Doctor degree cum laude from Creighton University School of Law.[2]
Career
[edit]Christensen practiced law in Harlan, Iowa at the firm Larson, Childs, Hall & Christensen from 1991 to 2003, specializing in family law.[3] She then worked as a sole practitioner specializing in family law from 2003 to 2007. She was also a prosecutor, working as an assistant county attorney for Shelby County from 1991 to 2007, for Harrison County from 1996 to 2007, and for Crawford County in 2007.[2]
State court service
[edit]Christensen was an associate judge for the Iowa Fourth Judicial District from 2007 to 2015 then a district judge for the same district from 2015 until her appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court.[3][4][2]
Appointment to Iowa Supreme Court
[edit]Christensen was one of three finalists sent to the governor for consideration after the retirement of Justice Bruce B. Zager.[5] In August 2018 Governor Kim Reynolds appointed Christensen to the Iowa Supreme Court.[6] On September 21, 2018, she was sworn into office.[7] Christensen is Reynolds' first appointment to the Iowa Supreme Court.[8] She became the first female since 2011 and the third female overall to join the court.[8]
On February 24, 2020, she was selected to be the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, following the death of Mark Cady.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Christensen was born and raised in Harlan, Iowa where her husband Jay serves as mayor.[3] Her father was former justice Jerry L. Larson who served on the Iowa Supreme Court from 1978 to 2008.[8] Her brother Jeffrey Larson is a judge of the Iowa Fourth Judicial District.[10] She is a registered Republican.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Susan Christensen sworn in as Iowa's newest Supreme Court justice". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
- ^ a b c "Iowa Judicial Branch: Application for Supreme Court Justice position" (PDF).
- ^ a b c d "Gov. Kim Reynolds names district court judge to Iowa Supreme Court". Des Moines Register. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ Glueck, Kevin; Cummings, Caroline (2018-08-01). "Susan Christensen appointed to Iowa Supreme Court". KTVO. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ "Here are the three finalists for the open Iowa Supreme Court seat". Des Moines Register. 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ "Gov. Reynolds selects Susan Christensen as Supreme Court justice". governor.iowa.gov (Press release). Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ "Justice Christensen Investiture September 21, 2018". 2018-09-04. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ a b c "Reynolds names rural judge to Iowa Supreme Court Susan Christensen becomes first woman on the court since 2011". The Gazette. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2018-09-30.
- ^ Sahouri, Andrea May (February 24, 2020). "Susan Christensen named chief justice of Iowa Supreme Court". Des Moines Register. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
- ^ "Christensen takes oath of office". Harlan Tribune. January 19, 2016.
External links
[edit]Statewide political officials of Iowa | ||
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| U.S. senators |  | |
| State government | ||
| State Senate |
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| State House |
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| Supreme Court (appointed, retained by election) |
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 | This biography of a state judge in Iowa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1962 births
- 20th-century American lawyers
- 20th-century American women lawyers
- 21st-century American judges
- 21st-century American women judges
- Chief justices of the Iowa Supreme Court
- Creighton University School of Law alumni
- Iowa Republicans
- Iowa state court judges
- Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court
- Judson University alumni
- Living people
- People from Harlan, Iowa
- Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States
- Iowa state court judge stubs