Susan Christensen
American judge (born 1962)
Susan Christensen | |
|---|---|
| Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office February 24, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | David Wiggins (Acting) |
| Associate Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office September 21, 2018 | |
| Appointed by | Kim Reynolds |
| Preceded by | Bruce B. Zager |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1962-04-27) April 27, 1962 (age 62) 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
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
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
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
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
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
- ^ "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
- Susan Christensen at Ballotpedia
- Iowa Supreme Court profile
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court 2018–present | Incumbent |
| Preceded by David Wiggins Acting | Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court 2020–present | |
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Chief justices of state and insular area supreme courts
Tom Parker
Susan Christensen
Federal districts:
- Italics indicate appointed supreme courts
- 1. Chief Justice elected biennially by the court from among its members
- 2. Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals, Presiding Judge Scott Rowland
- 3. Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Presiding Judge Sharon Keller
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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