Marsha Ternus

{{Short description|American judge}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix =

| name = Marsha Ternus

| honorific_suffix =

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| office = Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court

| term_start = September 2006

| term_end = December 31, 2010

| predecessor = Louis A. Lavorato

| successor = Mark Cady

| office1 = Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court

| term_start1 = September 7, 1993

| term_end1 = December 31, 2010

| predecessor1 = Louis W. Schultz

| successor1 = Thomas D. Waterman

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1951|5|30}}

| birth_place = Vinton, Iowa, U.S.

}}

Marsha K. Ternus (born May 30, 1951){{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinamerica0000unse_i8t7/page/774/mode/2up|title=Who's Who in American Law, 1998-1999|year=1998|publisher=Marquis Who's Who|page=775|isbn=978-0-8379-3513-3 }} is an American lawyer who served as a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court from September 7, 1993, to December 31, 2010.

Life

The members of the court selected her as chief justice in 2006. She was the first woman to serve as chief justice of Iowa's highest court.{{cite news |url=https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/educational-resources-and-services/iowa-courts-history/past-justices/marsha-k-ternus|title=Marsha K. Ternus (1993-2010) |date=October 3, 2024 |accessdate=October 3, 2024 }} As a Justice, Ternus was part of the unanimous Iowa Supreme Court ruling legally recognizing same-sex marriage in Iowa. Later, she was removed from office after a judicial retention election,{{cite news |url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101103/NEWS09/11030390/Iowans-dismiss-three-justices |archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20101227135753/http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101103/NEWS09/11030390/Iowans-dismiss-three-justices |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 27, 2010 |title=Iowans Dismiss Three Justices |work=Des Moines Register |date=November 3, 2010 |accessdate=February 3, 2015 }} following campaigning by groups opposed to same-sex marriage including the National Organization for Marriage.{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/10/25/gay_marriage_foes_back_push_to_oust_iowa_justices/ |title=Gay Marriage Foes Back Push To Oust Iowa Justices|publisher=Boston.com| date=October 25, 2010|accessdate=February 3, 2015|agency=Associated Press|first=Mike|last=Glover}} In 2012, Ternus received a Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation,[http://www.jfklibrary.org/About-Us/News-and-Press/Press-Releases/2012-John-F-Kennedy-Profile-in-Courage-Award-Winners-Announced.aspx 2012 JFK Profile in Courage Award Winners Announced] (March 12, 2012) along with fellow Justices David L. Baker and Michael Streit.

From 2013 to 2016, she was Director of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy.{{cite web | url=https://news.drake.edu/2016/04/25/marsha-ternus-to-retire-as-director-of-the-harkin-institute-for-public-policy-and-citizen-engagement/ | title=Marsha Ternus to retire as director of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement | date=25 April 2016 }}

References

{{reflist}}