UPDATES & ANALYSIS

Transformation of Iowa Supreme Court continues with Dana Oxley’s appointment

by Rox Laird | January 29, 2020

With the appointment of Cedar Rapids attorney Dana Oxley, the Supreme Court is one step closer to a historic transformation.

On Jan 28, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced the appointment of Oxley to replace the late Chief Justice Mark Cady. Oxley, 52, has practiced law at Shuttleworth & Ingersoll in Cedar Rapids since 2011, when she rejoined the firm after serving as a clerk for now-retired Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge David R. Hansen for 10 years.

Oxley’s appointment is Governor Reynolds’ third appointment to the Supreme Court in the nearly four years she has been governor. Earlier, Reynolds appointed Susan Christensen to replace Justice Bruce Zager after he retired in 2018, and Christopher McDonald to replace Daryl Hecht, who resigned from the Court in 2018 for health reasons.

Reynolds will have one more appointment to make in the coming weeks with the pending retirement of Acting Chief Justice David Wiggins. The State Judicial Nominating Commission is now in the process of accepting applications for that opening.

Thus, within the space of roughly 18 months, the makeup of the seven-member Court will have been dramatically changed after nearly a decade of stability. Besides four new members, the Court will have a new chief justice after all new justices are seated and Cady’s permanent replacement is elected. And, after a long stretch as an all-male body, two women will have joined the Court.

Tags: Iowa Supreme Court, Iowa Supreme Court 2019-20, Judicial Appointments