Chief Justice addresses Legislature

Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Marsha Ternus

Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Marsha Ternus gave her annual State of the Judiciary speech to the Legislature on January 13.

In the midst of a difficult national recession, Chief Justice Ternus had some good news to share about the court system’s efforts to improve and streamline services for Iowa’s citizens:

** The court system’s plan to go paperless is being tested in Plymouth County. The system would ultimately help the courts manage their growing caseload and process cases at any location.

** The courts have established a steering committee to look at ways to make Iowa’s civil justice system faster, less complicated and more affordable.

** They have examined using and expanding family law mediation across the state.

Iowa’s judiciary is considered among the best in the nation. Surveys conducted by the Harris Poll for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce regularly rank Iowa’s judiciary among the top ten in terms of competence, fairness and impartiality.