Republicans in the Iowa Senate have voted to change how judges are selected for the Iowa Supreme Court and Iowa Court of Appeals. Senator Julian Garrett, a Republican from Indianola, said Iowa needs a "different kind of judge" on those courts. "A lot of us have felt that under the current system … [Read more...]
Conservatives rail against ‘activist’ judges, hail GOP lawmakers’ plans for courts
Conservatives who oppose Iowa Supreme Court rulings legalizing same-sex marriage and overturning abortion restrictions are urging the Republican-led legislature to strike back. "Iowa has one of the most activist Supreme Courts in the country," Chuck Hurley, legal counsel for The Family Leader, … [Read more...]
Republicans rap ‘judicial activism,’ aim to change who nominates judges
Republicans at the statehouse are drawing up plans to change the make-up of the commission that nominates people to the governor for judgeships, in response to what they say is "judicial activism." Iowa's Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2009 and recently overturned a GOP plan to … [Read more...]
UPDATED: Reynolds spokeswoman says governor considers same-sex marriage issue ‘settled’ (AUDIO)
A spokeswoman for Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a clarification of the governor's views on same-sex marriage after Reynolds seemed to call for a statewide vote on the issue. The Iowa Supreme Court issued a unanimous decision in 2009 that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa. A U.S. Supreme … [Read more...]
Bill would require supermajority vote of Supreme Court to overturn Iowa law
A bill that's ready for debate in the Iowa Senate would require five of the seven justices on the Iowa Supreme Court to agree when ruling that a state law is unconstitutional. Senator Julian Garrett, a Republican from Indianola who is an attorney, said during committee debate last week that … [Read more...]
‘Vote no’ on Iowa justices briefly mentioned at IFFC banquet (AUDIO)
Concerns over the future of the United States Supreme Court drew a crowd of more than 600 Iowa evangelical Christians to its feet this weekend. GOP vice presidential nominee Mike Pence spoke at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's fall banquet Saturday night. "Donald Trump is committed to … [Read more...]
Vilsack says diversity has been the watchword for his USDA tenure
Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack has been President Obama's first and only Secretary of Agriculture and he is starting to reflect on his tenure at the USDA. "I've been challenged in the last couple of months to start thinking about, you know: 'You've spent seven years of your life in this job, what … [Read more...]
Capital City Pridefest crowd in Des Moines reacts to Orlando shootings
The annual "Pridefest" in Des Moines took on new meaning after Sunday morning's mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. Martha Miller-Johnson of Des Moines was part of the Pridefest scene Sunday afternoon just blocks from the state capitol. She was all too familiar with the site of the … [Read more...]
Cruz, Huckabee, Jindal speak at National Religious Liberty Conference (AUDIO)
Three GOP presidential candidates made a direct appeal to nearly 1700 Christian conservatives at this weekend's National Religious Liberties Conference in Des Moines. Each of the candidates denounced this summer's U.S. Supreme Court decision on same-sex marriage. Former Arkansas Governor Mike … [Read more...]
House panel to investigate complaints about conference for LGBTQ youth
The chairman of the Oversight Committee in the Iowa House will hold a hearing next month to air complaints about a yearly anti-bullying conference for Iowa students who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or questioning their sexuality. Republican Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton says … [Read more...]