• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Iowa Supreme Court Justices Who Voted for Gay Marriage All Booted

CriticalThought

DP Veteran
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
Messages
19,657
Reaction score
8,454
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Libertarian
It's a sad day for independent judiciary when the "will of the people" is no longer the United States Constitution and judges who are just doing their job are kicked to the curb. What are you thinking Iowa?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/03/AR2010110300330.html

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Iowa voters have voted to remove three state Supreme Court justices, siding with conservatives angered by a ruling that allowed gay marriage.

The vote Tuesday was the first time high court justices have lost a retention election in Iowa.

The three who weren't retained were Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and justices David Baker and Michael Streit. They were the only justices up for retention this year.

SheWired.com - Iowa Supreme Court Justices Who Voted for Gay Marriage All Booted

All three Iowa supreme court justices who ruled in favor of legalizing marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples have been voted out of office.

Groups including the National Organization for Marriage, the Family Research Council, and the American Family Association launched a successful $1 million campaign against the justices.

I applaud the judges for taking the high road and choosing not to campaign. Hopefully their example will continue to set the tone in Iowa.
 
Last edited:
Ahh Democracy in action.. Love it! :)

Tim-
 
I love democracy in action, too:

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund today announced that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history.

At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, including Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline (pictured), who will become the fourth openly gay Member of Congress when the House convenes in January.

One piece of concrete at a time, the wall will fall.
 
Ahh Democracy in action.. Love it! :)

Tim-

Too bad it won't mean much when the time comes when every state will be forced to at least recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. It really won't be too long until this happens.
 
They were on the court of seven justices who unanimously decided last year that an Iowa law restricting marriage to one man and one woman violated the state's constitution.

Something Navy neglected in his OP is that 4 of the Justices that also voted for gay marriage stayed on the court.
 
Too bad it won't mean much when the time comes when every state will be forced to at least recognize same sex marriages performed in other states. It really won't be too long until this happens.

Agreed. DOMA is going to fall. Even the most starch conservative will not dare argue that the federal government has any say in how states regulate marriage licenses and it is in complete contradiction to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution. Once DOMA is out of the picture this becomes a nonissue over night. While the 31 states that have constitutional amendments against same sex marriage will not grant licensees to same sex couples, they will be forced to recognize those granted in other states. At that point, it just means all those states will lose the revenue they could have had from same sex weddings.
 
Agreed. DOMA is going to fall. Even the most starch conservative will not dare argue that the federal government has any say in how states regulate marriage licenses and it is in complete contradiction to the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the Constitution. Once DOMA is out of the picture this becomes a nonissue over night. While the 31 states that have constitutional amendments against same sex marriage will not grant licensees to same sex couples, they will be forced to recognize those granted in other states. At that point, it just means all those states will lose the revenue they could have had from same sex weddings.

Don't count on it bud.. Even Obama is no friend of the gays, and he doesn't want to take up that issue over the next two years.


Tim-
 
Don't count on it bud.. Even Obama is no friend of the gays, and he doesn't want to take up that issue over the next two years.


Tim-

It doesn't matter. Within the next 5 years, if not sooner, there are several gay marriage cases headed to the SCOTUS, including a couple that could make DOMA unconstitutional.
 
It's a sad day for independent judiciary when the "will of the people" is no longer the United States Constitution and judges who are just doing their job are kicked to the curb. What are you thinking Iowa?

3 Iowa justices removed after gay marriage ruling



SheWired.com - Iowa Supreme Court Justices Who Voted for Gay Marriage All Booted



I applaud the judges for taking the high road and choosing not to campaign. Hopefully their example will continue to set the tone in Iowa.

I agree. It is a sad day. This vote saddened me more than any other.
 
It doesn't matter. Within the next 5 years, if not sooner, there are several gay marriage cases headed to the SCOTUS, including a couple that could make DOMA unconstitutional.

And law, not activism, is in the favor of gay marriage.
 
Maybe? The only way is through the courts, at least for now, time will tell, but this message in the OP will ring bells for none appointed judges all across the nation.

Tim-
 
And law, not activism, is in the favor of gay marriage.

Absolutely. It is most likely the SCOTUS judges that will have to change DOMA though, unfortunately. I would greatly prefer that Congress change DOMA. And I have little doubt that Obama would absolutely sign anything from Congress that repealed DOMA, no matter how he personally feels about same sex marriage.
 
Maybe? The only way is through the courts, at least for now, time will tell, but this message in the OP will ring bells for none appointed judges all across the nation.

Tim-

What it says is that people are stupid enough to believe what religious-based political groups tell them. It also says that people have absolutely no understanding of what a civil marriage is about.
 
Maybe? The only way is through the courts, at least for now, time will tell, but this message in the OP will ring bells for none appointed judges all across the nation.

Tim-

Actually, only states with retention elections, of which less than half of the states have, and most of those do not put their Supreme Court justices up to vote. This really amounted to nothing more than getting revenge against judges who made an unpopular decision.
 
This is why judges shouldn't be decided by popular vote. Or at least if they are, they should be voted in for life.
 
This is why judges shouldn't be decided by popular vote. Or at least if they are, they should be voted in for life.

I don't agree that judges should be voted in for life, but electing them is also not a good option. There needs to be a process for removal for judges who make egregious errors, just like there is a firing process for any other job.
 
I'm glad they got booted. Now they need to bot out that California gay dude who was allow to rule on the gay marriage prop in Cali. There is nothing constitutional or unconstitutional in regards to gay marriage.
 
I don't agree that judges should be voted in for life, but electing them is also not a good option. There needs to be a process for removal for judges who make egregious errors, just like there is a firing process for any other job.

Maybe. But it shoudl be for egregious errors and not for following the law. Just because some don't like the law, or the consequences of a law, doesn't mean judges should not follow the law.
 
It's a sad day for independent judiciary when the "will of the people" is no longer the United States Constitution and judges who are just doing their job are kicked to the curb. What are you thinking Iowa?

probably that it is the people who are the final word in this nation; not judges. and good on them; they are the embodiment of what Jefferson meant when he said

To consider the judges as the ultimate arbiters of all constitutional questions [is] a very dangerous doctrine indeed, and one which would place us under the despotism of an oligarchy. Our judges are as honest as other men and not more so. They have with others the same passions for party, for power, and the privilege of their corps. Their maxim is boni judicis est ampliare jurisdictionem [good justice is broad jurisdiction], and their power the more dangerous as they are in office for life and not responsible, as the other functionaries are, to the elective control. The Constitution has erected no such single tribunal, knowing that to whatever hands confided, with the corruptions of time and party, its members would become despots.... But the Chief Justice says, 'There must be an ultimate arbiter somewhere.' True, there must; but does that prove it is either party? The ultimate arbiter is the people of the Union...
 
Meaning they can change the law, not that judges should ignore the law.
 
correct; judges shouldn't ignore the law. and when they do, the people should remonstrate them.
 
correct; judges shouldn't ignore the law. and when they do, the people should remonstrate them.

These judges ruled on the law. That's the point.
 
not according to their bosses.
 
Back
Top Bottom