Chief Justice Susan Christensen has appointed District Court Judge Adria Kester, of Ogden, as chief judge of the Second Judicial District.

Kester succeeds Chief Judge James M. Drew, who will retire Feb. 9, 2023. Kester will begin the position of chief judge Feb. 10, 2023.

“Judge Kester is well respected by both attorneys and her fellow judges in the 2nd District,” Christensen said. “Her excellent legal background and commitment to our legal system combined with her experience as assistant chief judge has prepared her for this appointment. She will do an outstanding job.”

Kester currently serves as assistant chief judge. She was appointed to the District Court in July 2017.

She earned her bachelor’s degree from Iowa State University in Ames in 1994, and her law degree from Drake University School of Law in Des Moines in 1998. Kester was an assistant public defender, in private practice for six years, the assistant Boone and assistant Hamilton County Attorney, and the Boone County Attorney prior to her appointment as district associate judge in 2013. Kester has been involved in the Iowa Association of County Attorneys and the Iowa State and Boone County bar associations.

“I am honored to accept the appointment as chief judge of the 2nd Judicial District following the retirement of Chief Judge James Drew,” Kester said. “I would like to thank Chief Justice Christensen and justices of the Supreme Court for my appointment. I would also like to thank my outstanding colleagues and hardworking judicial branch employees in the Second District for their dedication to providing access to justice. It is a privilege to work with them.”

As chief judge, Kester 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 2nd Judicial District is the largest geographic district in the state, comprised of 22 counties: Boone, Bremer, Butler, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Floyd, Franklin, Greene, Hamilton, Hancock, Hardin, Humboldt, Marshall, Mitchell, Pocahontas, Sac, Story, Webster, Winnebago, Worth, and Wright. The district has 17 district court judges, 11 district associate court judges, five senior judges, 29 part-time magistrates, and 161 employees.