Dana Oxley

Dana Leanne Oxley (née Wade, born December 21, 1967) is an associate justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.

Education

Oxley earned a Bachelor of Arts in accounting from the University of Northern Iowa in 1990. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law in 1998. In law school, she was articles editor of the Journal of Corporation Law, graduated third in her class, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. Oxley took office on February 24, 2020.

Iowa selected Oxley through the assisted appointment method, in which the State Judicial Nominating Commission submits three nominees to the governor. Governor Reynolds also appointed Joel Barrows and Matthew McDermott to the court along with Oxley. Oxley's current term is set to expire on December 21, 2030. The Iowa Judicial Branch featured Oxley on its podcast in August 2022 to discuss differences between the Iowa Constitution and the United States Constitution.

Oxley participated in the Iowa Supreme Court's 2022 decision in Planned Parenthood of the Heartland v. Reynolds, a case that overruled the court's 2018 precedent recognizing abortion as a fundamental right under the Iowa Constitution. The decision replaced strict scrutiny review of abortion regulations with the undue burden standard.

Professional associations Oxley is a member of the Iowa State Bar Association, the Linn County Bar Association, and the Eighth Circuit Bar Association.

Personal life Oxley was born in Neosho, Missouri and grew up on a farm near Greenfield, Iowa.

Oxley and her husband, Randy, have two children, Ryan and Taylor, and reside in Swisher, Iowa.

Before choosing to attend law school, Oxley worked as a bank auditor.