House Journal: Page 77: Wednesday, January 13, 1999

	Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning was escorted into the House 

chamber.
Mrs. Jo Ann McGiverin, wife of the Chief Justice and Ed and Mrs. 
Jo McGiverin, cousins of the Chief Justice were escorted into the 
House chamber.
Governor-elect Tom Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor-elect Sally 
Pederson were escorted into the House chamber.
The committee waited upon Governor Terry E. Branstad and 
escorted him into the House chamber.
The committee waited upon Chief Justice Arthur A. McGiverin 
and escorted him to the Speaker's station.
President Kramer presented Chief Justice Arthur A. McGiverin 
who delivered the following Condition of the Judicial Branch 
Message:
Madam President, Mr. Speaker, Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor 
Corning, Governor-Elect Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor-Elect Pederson, members of 
the General Assembly, state officials, judges, and friends:
We are honored and pleased by the opportunity each year to review the significant 
activities of the court system and make recommendations aimed at providing the 
highest quality of justice to the people of Iowa.  We sincerely thank the General 
Assembly for the kind invitation to speak here today. 
Let me begin by extending a warm welcome to the new legislators and state 
officials.  I also want to welcome Governor-Elect Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor-
Elect Pederson.  We look forward to working with all of you on issues involving the 
administration of justice.
I would like to acknowledge Justice Mark Cady, the newest member of the supreme 
court, and Judge Van Zimmer who joined the court of appeals last week.
Before I begin my main remarks, I would like to recognize and thank Governor 
Branstad for his strong support of the judicial branch over the years. His leadership 
was crucial in bringing about the landmark Court Reorganization Act in the 1980s, 
which secured state funding for the court system.  As a result of this far-sighted 
reform, our courts operate more efficiently and resources flow where they are most 
needed.  Today, Iowans in all counties enjoy more equal access to court services than 
was possible under the previous county funding structure.  
Governor Branstad has always said that appointing judges is a governor's most 
important job.  He has appointed nearly  eighty percent of Iowa's judges.  However, it is 
the quality of the appointments he has made rather than the quantity for which he will 
be remembered.  He took great care to appoint hardworking, fair minded and highly 

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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Last update: Thu Jul 15 13:40:03 CDT 1999
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