{{Short description|American judge (born 1951)}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Marsha K. Ternus | honorific_suffix = | image = Marsha_K._Ternus|330px | office = Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court | term_start = September 2006 | term_end = December 31, 2010 | predecessor = Louis A. Lavorato | successor = Mark Cady | appointer1 = Terry Branstad | 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)<ref name=":3">{{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}}</ref> is an American lawyer. She has served on Iowa's Supreme Court as Justice and Chief Justice. She was the first woman to serve as Chief Justice on Iowa's Supreme Court, where she served for four years. Iowa's governor at the time, Terry Branstad, nominated her to the Supreme Court in 1993. Later in 2006, her colleagues would vote her as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Voters removed her and two of her colleagues from the court in December 2010, after voting to legalize gay marriage in Iowa. She served from September 7, 1993, to December 31, 2010.
==Early life and education== Marsha K. Ternus was born on May 30, 1951.<ref name=":3" /> She is an Iowa native and grew up in Benton county. Marsha Ternus graduated from Vinton high school in 1969. She then went to college at the University of Iowa. Ternus graduated from the University of Iowa in 1972 with honors and high distinctions.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Donna|first=Young|date=September 19, 2011|title=Introduction to Chief Justice Marsha Ternus|url=https://www.albanylawreview.org/article/69578-introduction-to-chief-justice-marsha-ternus|journal=Albany Law Review|volume=72|issue=4|pages=1565}}</ref> She continued her education going into Drake University's law school, where she graduated in 1977 with honors and Order of the Coif.<ref name=":22">"[https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/educational-resources-and-services/iowa-courts-history/past-justices/marsha-k-ternus Marsha K. Ternus (1992-2010)]" Retrieved May 8, 2024.</ref> During her time at Drake Law School she also served as Editor-in-Chief of Drake Law Review<ref name=":0" /> Since graduating law school she has received multiple honorary degrees.<ref name="bmt">{{Cite web |title=Biography {{!}} Marsha Ternus |url=https://mternuslaw.com/biography/ |access-date=2026-04-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Early career== After law school Marsha started working in law's private sector within Des Moines IA. She spent 16 years working for a law firm called Bradshaw, Fowler, Proctor and Fairgrave where she focused mainly on civil litigation and insurance law.<ref name=":0"/> During her time of private practice she also had positions on the Board of Governors, the Iowa State Bar association, the Iowa Jury Instructions Committee, and the Board of Directors of Polk County Legal Aid Society. She was also the president of the Polk Count Bar Association along with the President of the Board of Counselors at Drake University Law School.<ref name=":32">{{Cite journal |last=Cardinale |first=Jessie R. |date=2011 |title=Chief Justice Marsha Ternus: An Inside look at the Former Chief Justice |url=https://www.albanylawreview.org/article/69591-chief-justice-marsha-ternus-an-inside-look-at-the-tenure-of-iowa-s-former-chief-justice |journal=Albany Law Review |volume=74 |issue=4}}</ref>{{rp|pages=1809-1812}}
==Path to Iowa Supreme Court== She got her first opportunity to serve on the Iowa Supreme Court in 1993, Iowa's governor, Terry Branstad, nominated her. In 2006 other justices voted her to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. She was the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of Iowa's highest court.<ref name=":2">{{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 |access-date=October 3, 2024}}</ref><ref name=":22" /> Throughout her time as chief she helped create roughly 120 decisions.{{r|:32|pages=1809-1815}} One of those decisions was a ruling on same-sex marriage in Iowa. Voters removed her, along with two of her colleagues, from office in 2010 after a judicial retention election, following campaigning by groups opposed to same-sex marriage.<ref name=":6">{{Cite journal |last=Cicoski |first=Ryan C. |date=Summer 2011 |title=Judicial Independence and The Rule of Law: Warning From Iowa |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.barjournals/dellwy0029&i=50 |journal=Delaware Lawyer |volume=29 |issue=2 |pages=16-20 |via=HeinOnline}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Schulte |first=Grant |date=November 3, 2010 |title=Iowans Dismiss Three Justices |url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20101227135753/http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101103/NEWS09/11030390/Iowans-dismiss-three-justices |url-status=live |archive-url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20101103/NEWS09/11030390/Iowans-dismiss-three-justices |archive-date=December 27, 2010 |access-date=May 8, 2026 |website=Des Moines Register}}</ref> Some of those groups include the Iowans for Freedom (IFF) group and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7" />
==Impact on Iowa Law== Justice Ternus is most commonly known for her part in legalizing same-sex marriage in Iowa. In Varnum v. Brien (2009) she, along with the other Iowan Supreme Court justices, voted unanimously in a decision to repeal the ban on gay marriage in Iowa. This decision was six years before it was formally legalized in the United States by ''Obergefell v. Hodges'' (2015). This decision made Iowa the third state, after Massachusetts and Connecticut, to legalize gay marriage.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Green |first=Matthew W. Jr. |last2=Becker |first2=Susan J. |last3=Ternus |first3=Marsha K. |last4=Taylor |first4=Camilla B. |last5=Tokaji |first5=Daniel B. |date=2012 |title=The Politicization of Judicial Elections And Its Effects on Judicial Independence |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/clevslr60&i=467 |journal=Cleveland State Law Review |volume=60 |issue=2 |pages=481-494 |via=HeinOnline}}</ref>
She also advocated and participated in reforming Iowa's child welfare. With a main focus being on improving court oversight of child welfare cases, she chaired State Children’s Justice Council.<ref name=":4" /> Eventually, in 2007, it started a shift in how juvenile justice dockets were handled within Iowa.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2026-01-14 |title=2026 Condition of the Judiciary {{!}} Iowa PBS |url=http://www.iowapbs.org/shows/iowapress/special/13638/2026-condition-judiciary |access-date=2026-05-09 |website=www.iowapbs.org |language=en}}</ref>
During this time she also helped implement the electronic document system for the Iowa court.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=May |first=Lorraine |last2=Ovrom |first2=Eliza |date=May 2024 |title=Notable Women Leaders in Iowa's Legal Community |url=https://heinonline.org/HOL/P?h=hein.barjournals/ialaw0084&i=141 |journal=The Iowa Lawyer |volume=84 |issue=5 |pages=45 |via=HeinOnline}}</ref>
Marsha Ternus, along with two of her colleagues, were removed from office in 2010 after a judicial retention election. This is primarily from campaigns by groups opposed to same-sex marriage. <ref name=":6"/> Including, but not limited to, organizations like the Iowans for Freedom (IFF) group and the National Organization for Marriage (NOM).<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":7"/>
==Life after office== After her removal from office, she rejoined the private sector of law and continued working throughout the Des Moines community. From 2010 to 2012 she served on the Bar Admissions Committee of the ABA.<ref name="bmt"/> From August 2013 to June 2016, she served as the part-time director of the Harkin Institute for Public Policy.<ref>Jaco, Aaron (April 25, 2016). [https://news.drake.edu/2016/04/25/marsha-ternus-to-retire-as-director-of-the-harkin-institute-for-public-policy-and-citizen-engagement/ "Marsha Ternus to retire as director of The Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizen Engagement"]. Drake University Newsroom. Retrieved May 8, 2026.</ref> From 2015 to 2022 she also served on the board of directors for the Iowa Public Radio.<ref name="bmt"/> Throughout that time she served on the Institute’s National Advisory Council until 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Advisory Council {{!}} The Harkin Institute |url=https://harkininstitute.drake.edu/who-we-are/national-advisory-council/ |access-date=2026-04-09 |language=en-US}}</ref> She chaired a total of seven years at the council.<ref name="bmt" />
As of 2026, Marsha Ternus is still working in private sector law in Des Moines, working as an arbitrator and an appellate and trial case consultant.<ref name="bmt" />
==Awards== Since graduating law school in 1997 she has received honorary degrees from Iowa Wesleyan College in 2005, Simpson College in 2010, Coe College in 2011 and Drake University in 2015.<ref name="bmt"/>
In 2012, Ternus received a Profile in Courage Award from the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation,<ref>[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)</ref> along with fellow justices David L. Baker and Michael Streit.
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035835/http://www.iowacourts.gov/wfdata/frame1206-1434/pressrel101.asp|title=Iowa Judicial Branch Past Iowa Supreme Court Justices page for Marsha Ternus}}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box |title=Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court |before=Louis W. Schultz |after=Thomas D. Waterman |years=1993–2010}} {{s-end}}
{{Iowa Women's Hall of Fame}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ternus, Marsha}} Category:1951 births Category:Living people Category:Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court Category:Women chief justices of state supreme courts in the United States Category:Chief justices of the Iowa Supreme Court Category:Drake University Law School alumni Category:University of Iowa alumni Category:20th-century American women judges Category:20th-century Iowa state court judges Category:21st-century American women judges Category:21st-century American judges
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