With the announcement of three finalists to fill an eventual vacancy on the Iowa Supreme Court, Governor Kim Reynolds only has a few days remaining to make that appointment.

Whomever Reynolds ends up selecting, Iowa will no longer be the only state with an all-male supreme court, due to the fact that the finalists are all female. For one Iowa District Court Judge, she recognizes the honor of being chosen to serve on the bench as a female. Judge Adria Kester was Reynolds’ first appointment after officially taking over as governor last year and she was also the first-ever female District Court Judge appointed in District Court 2B.

“I know for me being selected by the governor it was special not just because I became a District Court Judge but being her first appointment and being the first woman appointed in our district. But again this isn’t a quota system. Maybe people didn’t apply in the past that would apply now. You never know what the reasons may be. But again, it is a watershed moment especially for the three candidates because they will be the only female on the (supreme) court at the time.”

The three finalists include: Fourth District Court Judge Susan Christensen, First District Chief Judge Kellyann Lekar and West Des Moines Attorney Terri Combs. Kester stresses the need for diversity on any court or in the judicial system, which stretches beyond gender makeup, and she believes that diversity should be reflected in the communities a judge serves.

“That diversity creates a trust in what we’re doing in the court. Because if people think they’re not being represented than they don’t think the system is fair, and we want the system to be as fair as possible. If everybody up there looks the same it undermines our legitimacy and right now that’s kind of what we have. And so I do think it’s important to have diversity.”

She adds that there are lots of items that are considered when choosing candidates to fill judicial vacancies on the bench, including integrity, impartiality and unbiased decision-making abilities when in court.

Kester points out that Reynolds’ appointment will only be the third female in Iowa’s history to serve on the state supreme court. The appointment will fill the vacancy by retiring Justice Bruce Zager.