Courthouse officials eye Spanish - Iowa

In an effort to keep up with changing demographics, the Iowa Judicial Branch is in the process of equipping all of the state’s courthouse staff with basic Spanish skills.

Johnson County Clerk of Court Lodema Berkley estimated that the number of Spanish-speakers who come to the courthouse (whose first language isn’t English) has risen by 90 percent in the past 10 years.

In addition, Chief Justice Marsha Ternus of the Iowa Supreme Court said in her most recent State of the Judiciary Address that “Iowa’s courts are significantly affected by the increasing diversity of Iowa’s population.”"*

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