(Radio Iowa) — The justices of the Iowa Supreme Court have chosen a new leader. Fellow justices selected Susan Christensen of Harlan to become the new chief justice to succeed Chief Justice Mark Cady who died from a heart attack on November 15th. Justice Christensen will be the second woman to serve as chief justice of Iowa’s highest court — and will work with the state court administrator to manage the operations of the judicial branch. Christensen was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2018 by Governor Reynolds. She will be up for retention in November 2020.

In a statement, Christensen said “I am honored to be selected by my colleagues as chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. Three months ago, our court faced a sudden crisis with the unexpected death of Chief Justice Cady. I am deeply appreciative of the immediate leadership by acting Chief Justice David Wiggins. He provided the stability to push forward with the court’s work while the judicial branch and entire state grieved for the Cady family. As chief justice, I will maintain my passion for child welfare and juvenile justice and do my best to lead Iowa’s judiciary in a manner which provides all 99 counties with fair and impartial justice.”