Louis A. Lavorato

Louis A. Lavorato is a former justice of the Iowa Supreme Court from February 12, 1986, appointed from Polk County, Iowa.

Early life

Louis was born to Charles and Catherine Lavorato in 1934. He received, from Drake University, his BA and BS in 1959. He then graduated from Drake's Law School in 1962 with a JD and received the Order of the Coif. He also served as the assistant editor of the Drake Law Review.
In 1953, he joined the Army, serving until 1955.

Personal life

He married Dianne Amsberg and they have 4 children.

Law and judicial career

He practiced law in Des Moines from 1962-1979. He then joined the Iowa Fifth Circuit as a District Judge from 1979 to 1986 and served as Chief Judge from 1983 to 1986. In January 1986, Governor Terry Branstad appointed him to be an Associate Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. He served as an Associate Justice until 2000, when he became Chief Justice until his retirement in September 2006.