2010-11-03

Iowa fires judges, first time in almost 50 years

Iowans dismiss three justices
Three Iowa Supreme Court justices lost their seats Tuesday in a historic upset fueled by their 2009 decision that allowed same-sex couples to marry.

Vote totals from 96 percent of Iowa's 1,774 precincts showed Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices David Baker and Michael Streit with less than the simple majority needed to stay on the bench.

Their removal marked the first time an Iowa Supreme Court justice has not been retained since 1962, when the merit selection and retention system for judges was adopted.
Social mood tells us the when, the facts on the ground tells us who and where.

Judges are increasingly targets of political ire due to what critics term lawmaking from the bench. The gay marriage decision is exhibit A for most people making this argument. However, it's not as if this is the first unpopular decision, abortion alone has generated scores of court cases. What's different this time is that the social mood is very negative, thereby resulting in the successful removal of three Iowa Supreme Court justices.

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