Photo By Sgt. Jonathan Perdelwitz | Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen and Polk County District Judge...... read more read more
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JOHNSTON, Iowa—Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen and Polk County District Judge David Porter spoke at the Iowa National Guard Judge Advocate General’s Corps Continuing Legal Education Seminar at Camp Dodge on Nov. 5, 2022.
Col. William Kelly, Iowa Army National Guard staff judge advocate, invited the two high-ranking members of Iowa’s judicial system to encourage dialogue about current legal topics.
“Our goal was to bring in outside legal speakers to talk about complex decision making and leadership,” Kelly said. “Both are skills that lawyers use on a daily basis. We heard from two of the brightest minds in the judicial branch.”
The seminar allowed lawyers and judges from across the state to learn from each other and carry on a discussion about issues that Iowa’s legal system faces each day. Chief Justice Christensen discussed how the judicial branch acted and reacted during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I have had the opportunity to speak at many events since becoming a justice on the Iowa Supreme Court, and this is the first time I was asked to speak at anything related to the military,” Christensen said. “We may feel like we’re in different worlds, but our goals, passions and desires to do the right thing and follow the rule of law was evidenced today.”
This was the first time the Iowa National Guard has had an Iowa Supreme Court justice address Soldiers and Airmen at the annual seminar. This opportunity helped foster a relationship between the Iowa judicial branch and the military.
“My being here as a guest speaker makes me want to include one of their representatives as a guest speaker to a group of lawyers and judges,” Christensen said. “I hope they’re receptive to sharing some of their experiences with our branch. I’m really appreciative of the opportunity to speak today.”
Porter engaged his audience with the complexities of handling difficult legal decisions. This sparked a deep conversation about legal ethics. Judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys all joined in the conversation to help paint a picture of how the legal system tackles morally challenging cases.
“You have the same concerns in the military context as I have in the civil context,” Porter said. “We are proud of the work the Iowa National Guard does for us, and we are proud to be here.”
Soldiers and Airmen were able to share their ideas and engage in the dialogue. Christensen and Porter stayed after their presentations and took the time to talk to the service members and gain a deeper view of their perspectives.
The Iowa National Guard JAG Corps is made up of paralegals, lawyers and judges from across the state. The seminar gave them the opportunity to learn from experts in their field.
“We are creating new leaders,” Kelly said, “lawyers that are going to help our commanders lead us into the future. By drawing on these experiences we can become better judge advocates, better leaders and better able to advise our commanders as they move forward in the future.”
| Date Taken: | 11.06.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 11.06.2022 14:27 |
| Story ID: | 432741 |
| Location: | JOHNSTON, IOWA, US |
| Web Views: | 453 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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