Susan Christensen Finds Balance in Life as a Mother, Wife, and Iowa Supreme Court Justice

Being a chief justice isn’t a job that anyone can do. It takes discipline, effort, determination, and strength not only during the years of the job itself but during the time it takes to get to the stand. Susan Christensen defied all odds when it was her turn to storm the stand and become chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. She didn’t only juggle the responsibilities of being a student and gaining experience through her various connections, but she was also learning how to be a mom, how to take care of children, and how to provide for a family. Something not everyone can say they have accomplished.

Christensen isn’t just a mother of five children with six grandchildren, but she has sorted her way through life, attending 4 undergraduate universities, one graduate school where she obtained her law degree, cared for a son with Cerebral Palsy, and continues to find Justice in her cases and bringing light to issues that need to be heard.

Christensen was born and raised in Harlan, Iowa. A small town but a place where she started and is continuing her journey through life. At the time of her graduation, Christensen says in a Podcast called, In The Balance, that her graduating class was around 270 kids. Harlan was a small town, but families consisted of five or more children each making for a large class. As her children and grandchildren are growing up, Christensen claims, “kids have a bigger world… because of technology, the community has grown but the town is still smaller in many other ways” (In the Balance, 2020).

Christensen met her husband, Jay, in their small town, first-grade class but didn’t begin dating until they were 15, and officially tying the knot at 19. She has said on multiple occasions and interviews that she originally did not have the forefront thought of going to law school despite her upbringing and her family’s involvement with the law. “My first job was a legal secretary and I wanted to help Jay with college and the family and stay home with the kids” (In the Balance, 2020).

This is where the journey begins. Christensen graduated from AIB in May 1981 to become the legal secretary where she held her first job in Sioux City. She then completed her undergrad degree in four years, at four different universities with children. In 1984, Christensen studied at the University of South Dakota before moving out to California with her husband and studying at California St. in Fresno in 1985. In 1986 she found herself back in Iowa attending the University of Iowa and finally graduating from undergraduate school at Judson College. She was accepted into law school at Creighton University in 1991.

“I was a lawyer for 16 years in Harlan small-town practice and I did a little bit of everything but soon learned that my niche was in family law,” says Christensen in her Nominating Commission Interview in 2018. During this time, it is important to note that she worked very hard and diligently, taking her children into the office with her. She says that her children would help her bind cases together, take notes, reorganize the books, answer phones after hours and of course “take field trips to the trials” as stated in our class interview.

Christensen worked in her Family’s Law Firm back in Harlan where four lawyers were working there at one time. She originally started working but she became a partner so she could begin practicing there as a lawyer as well. In her time at the Family Firm, she was unsure of her true passion for law, she couldn’t quite figure out what her niche was. After experiencing many cases with her brothers, she fell in love with juvenile law, family law, and domestic abuse cases where she could see herself helping anyone in tough or scary situations.

When she realized that she enjoyed fighting for her client and wanted to stay in the courtroom setting, she decided to take it a step farther and begin to see both sides of the cases and she wanted to be a part of the problem solving for the whole issue itself, not just one side or the other. In 2007, Christensen was chosen to be a District Associate Judge where she could hear both sides of the story and problem solve just like she hoped and to make it better, she was sworn in by her father, Jerry L. Larson who served on the Iowa Supreme Court from 1978-2008.

In 2011, she went to the Commission for the Court of Appeals openings and was nominated both times but was also rejected both times. The unfortunate part was that Governor Branstad wanted her to be a District Judge first to gain more experience.

This is where the determination comes into play for Christensen. After being rejected twice, she became a District Judge in 2015, only four years later so she could continue climbing the ladder to the Iowa Supreme Court Chair. She also learned at this moment that, “life has a way of testing us with disappointment before trusting us with sought after responsibility” (Nomination Commission Interview, 2018).

Soon thereafter, on July 10, 2018, she began her journey to the Supreme Court. Christensen states in her application, “I am a better wife/mother because I am passionate about my career, and I am a better lawyer/judge because of my unique personal experiences.”

This is one of the more prominent quotes from Justice Christensen because it truly does display her character, drive and love for both her family and her career which is very hard to find these days, especially in a career that she fulfills.

With the immense background that Christensen has, she says, “When I walk into a courtroom, I own it, I own it, I am comfortable, I am confident, and I know exactly what I need to do” (Nomination Commission Interview, 2018). Anyone can recognize that this is a true statement by Christensen herself. She carried herself with an extreme amount of poise and confidence but none of that would have been engraved in her if it wasn’t for her persistence to always to better as well as her experiences that have led her to where she is today.

“Working on juvenile courts is a fantastic way for a new young judge to acquire judicial temperament…there I've laughed I've cried I've had law enforcement remove people from the courtroom I've had a Cup of urine placed on my bench because they thought I'd want to have it thinking I was going to test him, but I don't do that, that was for someone else to do but it's bizarre what happens in there.” (Nomination Commission Interview, 2018).

Justice Christensen has been put in the spotlight like many of the other judges. She has seen horrible headlines that read, “least experienced Judge”, and knows that there will always be people that don’t agree with her, but she manages this limelight very well. Christensen said that she even used the headline, “least experienced” in a presentation one time and took the responsibility for it. She knows her credentials and is confident in herself knowing that she will constantly be learning.

In an interview with the class, Christensen explains the concept of civility with us, something that she holds near and dear to her heart as it is a huge ideal within the courts. She explains that there are 10 concepts of civility and they are as follows:

1. Keep commitments

2. Be courteous, cordial, and act with civil manner within the courtroom,

3. Be prompt, punctual, and prepared

4. Have honesty and integrity

5. Communicate well and efficiently

6. Avoid actions that delay or harass the court/trial

7. Display proper conduct before the court

8. Have dignity and cooperation in pre-trial proceedings,

9. A judge must act as role models to the public and young lawyers and

10. Use the court system efficiently and fairly.

After taking time to understand the concepts of civility, it has occurred to me that these concepts of civility are ideas that should be present in everyday life, not just in the courtroom. Any of those concepts can be translated into anyone's day-to-day matter, whether they are college students, younger students, or someone of an older generation.

Looking back on the accomplishments Judge Christensen has claimed, her background to becoming a Chief Justice on the Iowa Supreme Court, the thick and thin of her life, juggling being a mom as well as a full-time student, it is obvious that she has prevailed and shown dedication this far, that it will not dwindle out.

Justice Christensen has made it this far with an exceptional amount of accomplishments and the only way she made it here was by working hard, her quote exactly being, “succeed on purpose by working hard.”