Mark Steven Cady (July 12, 1953 – November 15, 2019) was an American jurist. He served on the
Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a chief justice and six associate justices.
The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 ...
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'', which legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.
Early life and career
Mark Steven Cady was born on July 12, 1953, in
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City is the county seat of Pennington County, South Dakota, United States. It is located on the eastern slope of the Black Hills in western South Dakota and was named after Rapid Creek (South Dakota), Rapid Creek, where the settlement deve ...
. His parents were Kenneth and Suzanne Cady. He graduated from
Austin High School in
Austin, Minnesota
Austin is a city in and the county seat of Mower County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 26,174 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The town was originally settled along the Cedar River (Iowa River), Cedar River and has ...
, in 1971.
He graduated from
Drake University
Drake University is a private university in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. The University offers over 140 undergraduate and graduate programs, including professional programs in business, education, Legal education, law, and pharmacy. Drake U ...
in 1975 with a degree in economics. In 1978, he earned his
Juris Doctor
A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...
degree from Drake and was elected to the
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif () is an American honor society for law school graduates. The Order was founded in 1902 at the University of Illinois College of Law. The name is a reference to the ancient English order of trial lawyers, the serjeants-at-la ...
.
[
]
Judicial career
Cady began his legal career in Fort Dodge, Iowa
Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. F ...
, where he practiced law for five years, including one year as a law clerk and one year as an assistant Webster County attorney. In 1983, Cady was appointed as an Iowa District Associate Judge, and in 1986, he was appointed to be an Iowa District Judge. In 1994, Governor Terry Branstad
Terry Edward Branstad (born November 17, 1946) is a retired American politician who served as the 39th and 42nd governor of Iowa (1983–1999; 2011–2017) and the United States ambassador to China (2017–2020). A member of the Repu ...
appointed him to the 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
The Iowa Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of Iowa. The Court is composed of a chief justice and six associate justices.
The Court holds its regular sessions in Des Moines in the Iowa Judicial Branch Building located at 1111 ...
. In 2010, Cady was made interim chief justice, and in 2011, he was elected to a full term as chief justice Cady was retained in the 2017 retention elections. 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'', 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.] 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. Cady also taught at Buena Vista University
Buena Vista University is a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1891 as Buena Vista College, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university's campus is situated on the shores of Storm Lake, a natur ...
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
Buena Vista University is a private university in Storm Lake, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1891 as Buena Vista College, it is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church. The university's campus is situated on the shores of Storm Lake, a natur ...
.
Personal life
Cady was married to Rebecca Cady on May 22, 1982, in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...
, and the couple had two children.
He died unexpectedly on November 15, 2019, after suffering a heart attack while walking his dog. He was 66 years old. 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.
References
External links
Iowa Judicial Branch page for Mark S. Cady
Ballotpedia Profile
Votesmart Profile
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cady, Mark
1953 births
2019 deaths
20th-century Iowa state court judges
21st-century American judges
Chief justices of the Iowa Supreme Court
Drake University alumni
Iowa independents
Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court
Politicians from Rapid City, South Dakota
Drake University Law School alumni