# Mark Cady > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mark_Cady > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mark_Cady.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cady > Source revision: 1318549643 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American judge (1953–2019)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Mark Cady | image = Mark Cady.png | caption = Cady in 2015 | office1 = Chief Justice of the [Iowa Supreme Court](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court) | term_start1 = January 11, 2011 | term_end1 = November 15, 2019 | predecessor1 = [Marsha Ternus](/source/Marsha_Ternus) | successor1 = [David Wiggins](/source/David_Wiggins_(judge)) (Acting) | office2 = Associate Justice of the [Iowa Supreme Court](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court) | term_start2 = 1998 | term_end2 = November 15, 2019 | appointer2 = [Terry Branstad](/source/Terry_Branstad) | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | birth_date = {{birth date|1953|7|12}} | birth_place = [Rapid City](/source/Rapid_City%2C_South_Dakota), [South Dakota](/source/South_Dakota), U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2019|11|15|1953|7|12}} | death_place = [Des Moines, Iowa](/source/Des_Moines%2C_Iowa), U.S. | party = [Independent](/source/Independent_politician) | education = [Drake University](/source/Drake_University) {{small|([BA](/source/Bachelor_of_Arts), [JD](/source/Juris_Doctor))}} }} '''Mark Steven Cady''' (July 12, 1953 – November 15, 2019) was an American jurist. He served on the [Iowa Supreme Court](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court) for 21 years from 1998 to 2019. From 2011 to 2019, he was the chief justice of the court. He was the author of the court's opinion in ''[Varnum v. Brien](/source/Varnum_v._Brien)'', which legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.{{cite news |url= https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2019/11/16/iowa-leaders-remember-mark-cady-chief-justice-who-wrote-iowa-marriage-decision/4211666002/ |title= 'He leaves behind a legacy of service and dedication that we should never forget': Iowa's leaders remember Chief Justice Mark Cady |newspaper=Des Moines Register|date=2019-11-16}} ==Early life and career== Mark Steven Cady was born on July 12, 1953, in [Rapid City, South Dakota](/source/Rapid_City%2C_South_Dakota). His parents were Kenneth and Suzanne Cady. He graduated from [Austin High School](/source/Austin_High_School_(Minnesota)) in [Austin, Minnesota](/source/Austin%2C_Minnesota), in 1971. He graduated from [Drake University](/source/Drake_University) in 1975 with a degree in economics. In 1978, he earned his [Juris Doctor](/source/Juris_Doctor) degree from Drake and was elected to the [Order of the Coif](/source/Order_of_the_Coif).{{cite web |title=Chief Justice Cady |url=https://www.iowacourts.gov/static/media/cms/Cady_bio_sketch_jan_2018_915C8442F7708.pdf |website=Iowa Judicial Branch |access-date=March 5, 2022}} ==Judicial career== Cady began his legal career in [Fort Dodge, Iowa](/source/Fort_Dodge%2C_Iowa), where he practiced law for five years, including one year as a law clerk and one year as an assistant [Webster County](/source/Webster_County%2C_Iowa) attorney. In 1983, Cady was appointed as an Iowa District Associate Judge, and in 1986, he was appointed to be an [Iowa District Judge](/source/Iowa_District_Courts).{{Cite journal |last=Laird |first=Rox |date=November 2016 |title=A Conversation with the Court |url=http://205.209.45.153/iabar/IALawyer.nsf/13ccaa12737005fd87257eca006abf85/407ce557afb7839e87258057006ba715/$FILE/NOV16%20IL.pdf |journal=The Iowa Lawyer |pages=13–16}} In 1994, Governor [Terry Branstad](/source/Terry_Branstad) appointed him to the [Iowa Court of Appeals](/source/Iowa_Court_of_Appeals). In 1997, Cady became the youngest chief judge in the history of the Court of Appeals. In 1998, Branstad elevated Cady to the [Iowa Supreme Court](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court). In 2010, Cady was made interim chief justice, and in 2011, he was elected to a full term as chief justice{{cite news |url= https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2019/11/15/mark-cady-iowa-supreme-court-dies-gay-marriage-varnum-v-brien-opinion-author-2009-chief-justice/4209815002/ |title=Chief Justice Mark Cady, who wrote the opinion affirming right to same-sex marriage in Iowa, dies at 66 |newspaper=Des Moines Register|date=2019-11-16}}{{Cite news |date=November 16, 2019 |title=Key moments and rulings in Mark Cady's life and his 36 years on the Iowa bench |work=Des Moines Register |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2019/11/16/mark-cady-timeline-key-moments-rulings-iowa-supreme-court-chief-justice/4213305002/}} Cady was retained in the 2017 retention elections.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/elections/2016/results/iowa-supreme-court-retain-mark-cady |title=Iowa Supreme Court Retain Mark Cady Results: "Yes" Wins |newspaper=New York Times |date=2017-08-01}} On the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, Cady continued to live in Fort Dodge. As a justice, he wrote the opinion in ''[Varnum v. Brien](/source/Varnum_v._Brien)'', a unanimous decision in 2009 that made Iowa the third state to permit same-sex marriage. In 2018, he wrote the 5–2 majority opinion in ''Planned Parenthood v Reynolds'' that struck down a 72-hour waiting period for an abortion.{{cite news |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/health/2018/06/29/abortion-iowa-supreme-court-planned-parenthood-72-hour-waiting-period-american-civil-liberties-union/745068002/ |title=Chief Justice Mark Cady, who wrote the opinion affirming right to same-sex marriage in Iowa, dies at 66 |newspaper=Des Moines Register|date=2018-06-29}} Cady also established the Iowa Access to Justice Commission, served as president of the national Conference of Chief Justices, and chaired the Board of Directors of the National Center for State Courts.{{Cite news |last=Spoerre |first=Anna |date=November 20, 2019 |title='The nicest guy you could ever hope to meet': Chief Justice Mark Cady remembered as a jurist, family man and friend |work=Des Moines Register |url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2019/11/20/mark-cady-iowa-supreme-court-memorial-service-drake-justice-varnum-brien/4248221002/}} Cady also taught at [Buena Vista University](/source/Buena_Vista_University) from 1980 until his death. ==Other activities== He served as the chairman of the National Center for State Courts Board of Directors. He was also the president of the Conference of Chief Justices. He was an adjunct faculty member at [Buena Vista University](/source/Buena_Vista_University).{{cite web |url=http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Supreme_Court/Supreme_Court_Justices/Chief_Justice_Mark_S_Cady/ |title=Mark S. Cady |accessdate=February 15, 2015 |archive-date=August 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815064914/http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Supreme_Court/Supreme_Court_Justices/Chief_Justice_Mark_S_Cady/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.nndb.com/people/546/000168042/ | title=Mark S. Cady | publisher=[NNDB](/source/NNDB) | accessdate=14 February 2015}} ==Personal life== Cady was married to Rebecca Cady on May 22, 1982, in [Des Moines, Iowa](/source/Des_Moines%2C_Iowa), and the couple had two children.{{cite news |title=Obituary for Mark Steven Cady, 1953-2019 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/96938620/obituary-for-mark-steven-cady-1953-2019/ |access-date=March 5, 2022 |work=[The Des Moines Register](/source/The_Des_Moines_Register) |date=November 19, 2019 |location=Des Moines |page=A10 |via=[Newspapers.com](/source/Newspapers.com)}} He died unexpectedly on November 15, 2019, after suffering a heart attack while walking his dog. He was 66 years old.{{Cite web|url=https://whotv.com/2019/11/15/iowa-supreme-court-chief-justice-mark-cady-dead-at-66/|title=Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady Dead at 66|date=2019-11-16|website=whotv.com|language=en|access-date=2019-11-16}}{{cite web | last1=Pitt | first1=David | title=Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady dies unexpectedly | url=https://apnews.com/b0032565dd174fc1bc1acb5285d64d7e | date=November 16, 2019 | work=[Associated Press](/source/Associated_Press) | accessdate=November 16, 2019}} Drake University and the Iowa State Bar Association created the Cady Day of Public Service in his memory. Drake University also created a Cady Law Opportunity Fellow Program for law students from underrepresented backgrounds.{{Cite web |date=2020-05-27 |title=Drake Law School and the ISBA dedicate annual day of service to the late Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady, LW'78 |url=https://news.drake.edu/2020/05/27/drake-law-school-isba-cady-day-of-public-service/ |access-date=2022-05-06 |website=Drake University Newsroom |language=en-US}} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Supreme_Court/Supreme_Court_Justices/Chief_Justice_Mark_S_Cady/ Iowa Judicial Branch page for Mark S. Cady] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815064914/http://www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Supreme_Court/Supreme_Court_Justices/Chief_Justice_Mark_S_Cady/ |date=2017-08-15 }} *[http://ballotpedia.org/Mark_Cady Ballotpedia Profile] *[http://votesmart.org/candidate/biography/58886/mark-cady Votesmart Profile] *{{C-SPAN|64131}} {{s-start}} {{s-legal}} {{s-bef|before=[Marsha Ternus](/source/Marsha_Ternus)}} {{s-ttl|title=Chief Justice of the [Iowa Supreme Court](/source/Iowa_Supreme_Court)|years=2011–2019}} {{s-aft|after=[David Wiggins](/source/David_Wiggins_(judge))
Acting}} {{s-end}} {{Iowa Women's Hall of Fame}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cady, Mark}} Category:1953 births Category:2019 deaths Category:20th-century Iowa state court judges Category:21st-century American judges Category:Chief justices of the Iowa Supreme Court Category:Drake University alumni Category:Iowa independents Category:Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court Category:Politicians from Rapid City, South Dakota Category:Drake University Law School alumni --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mark Cady](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cady) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Cady?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.