Mark Cady

Mark Cady (July 12, 1953 – November 15, 2019) was an American jurist. He served on the 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, which legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.[1]

Mark Cady
Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
In office
January 11, 2011  November 15, 2019
Preceded byMarsha Ternus
Succeeded byDavid Wiggins (Acting)
Personal details
Born(1953-07-12)July 12, 1953
Rapid City, South Dakota, U.S.
DiedNovember 15, 2019(2019-11-15) (aged 66)
Des Moines, Iowa, U.S.
Political partyIndependent
EducationDrake University (BA, JD)

Early life and career

Cady was born on July 12, 1953, in Rapid City, South Dakota. He graduated from Drake University in 1975 with a degree in economics. In 1978, he earned his law degree from Drake and was elected to the Order of the Coif.[1] [2]

Judicial career

In 1986, Cady was appointed as a Webster County district judge. In 1994, Governor Terry Branstad appointed him to the Iowa Court of Appeals. Four years later, Branstad elevated Cady to the Iowa Supreme Court.[3] Cady was retained in the 2017 retention elections.[4]

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.[3] 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.[5]

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.[6][7]

Personal life

Cady was married to Rebecca Cady and had two children.

He died unexpectedly on November 15, 2019 after suffering a heart attack while walking his dog. He was 66 years old.[8][9]

References

Legal offices
Preceded by
Marsha Ternus
Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
2011–2019
Succeeded by
David Wiggins
Acting
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