Judge Brown Named Chief Judge of Eighth Judicial District
Former location of the Iowa Supreme Court
Des Moines, December 6, 2012— The Iowa Supreme Court has appointed District Judge Mary Ann Brown, Burlington, as Chief Judge of the Eighth Judicial District. Judge Brown succeeds Chief Judge James Q. Blomgren who retired December 6, 2012.
“Judge Brown is an excellent judge with experience as an attorney and on the bench,” Chief Justice Mark Cady said. “The supreme court is confident she has the skills needed to be a fine chief judge and a strong leader in the Eighth Judicial District.”
Judge Brown was appointed district judge in September 2001. She received her bachelor’s degree from Drake University in 1981 and her law degree from the Drake University School of Law in 1984. Judge Brown worked as a prosecutor for the Des Moines County Attorney’s Office from 1985 to 1990. She was in private practice with Bauer, Schulte, Hahn, Swanson & Brown from 1990 to 2001. Judge Brown is a member of the Iowa Judicial Qualifications Commission, The Eighth Judicial District Department of Correctional Services Board of Directors, the Iowa Judges Association, the Iowa State Bar Association, the Des Moines County Bar Association, and served as past chair of the Iowa Board of Examiners of Shorthand Reporters. She is also a member of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Iowa/Western Illinois Board of Directors and, in 2000, she received a Bar Association Community Service award.
“I am honored and humbled to have been selected a Chief Judge for the Eighth Judicial District,” Judge Brown said. “As Iowans we can all be proud of the outstanding court system in this state. It will be a privilege to have this opportunity to work with all the outstanding, hardworking judges and other court staff in this judicial district. Working together we will successfully meet the ever changing challenges to efficiently and effectively serve the legal needs of our citizens.”
As chief judge, Judge Brown will supervise all judicial officers and court employees in the district, supervise the performance of administrative and judicial business in the district, set the times and places of holding court, designate presiding judges, and serve on the judicial council, which advises the supreme court on administrative matters affecting the trial courts. In addition, she will continue to preside over cases.
The Eighth Judicial District is located in southeast Iowa and comprises 14 counties: Appanoose, Davis, Des Moines, Henry, Jefferson, Keokuk, Lee (with two county seats—Fort Madison and Keokuk), Louisa, Mahaska, Monroe, Poweshiek, Van Buren, Wapello, and Washington. The district has 11 district judges, seven district associate judges, one associate juvenile judge, four senior judges, 13 part-time magistrates, and 156 employees, with an operating budget for the current fiscal year of approximately $14.2 million. A total of 73,056 cases were filed in the Eighth Judicial District last year.
