Governor-elect Terry Branstad says he will not ask potential new Supreme Court justices whether they support same sex marriage. But, Branstad says if he is given the option to appoint new judges, he will ask nominees about their judicial philosophy when ruling on such important issues.
“In light of the same sex marriage decision and the public vote to reject three members of the supreme court, it would be appropriate for the governor to specifically want to know issues about that philosophy,” Branstad says. The judicial nominating commission is now in the process of selecting nominees to replace the three outgoing justices, but it’s not clear if they will complete the job before or after Branstad takes office.
If it falls to Branstad, he wants to appoint justices he says will not overstep their bounds. Branstad says he hopes he has the opportunity to appoint people who would exercise judicial restraint on issues of this king. The judicial nominating commission is currently dominated by Democrats, and Branstad wants that makeup changed.
Republican House Speaker-elect Kraig Paulsen says that will be under discussion for the new Republican majority in the House.