While Iowa doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages, a district court judge in Sioux City has authorized the state’s first same-sex divorce. Judge Jeffrey Neary says he often signs divorces without checking the gender of participants. He recently approved a divorce for two Sioux City women who entered a civil union in Vermont last year. State Senator Neal Schuerer, a Republican from Amana, says the judge should have sent the women back to Vermont. Neary says he looked at the request as a dispute between two parties that he was going to have to solve. He says he doesn’t believe he’s recognizing same-sex marriage. Neary was appointed by Governor Vilsack in January.
