Iowa GOP chairman Jeff Kaufmann says Mahaska County Republicans do not have the power to formally censure Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks for her vote supporting same-sex marriage. "County committees do not have the ability to censure. There is nothing in our bylaws that talks about … [Read more...]
Three Iowa congresswomen back same-sex marriage bill
Iowa's three congresswomen -- a Democrat and two Republicans -- have voted for a bill to make the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage federal law. The move comes after U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wrote that the court should reconsider the ruling that … [Read more...]
Branstad rejects accusation he pressured official to resign because he’s gay
Former Republican Governor Terry Branstad sat in the witness chair in a Des Moines courtroom for nearly six hours Friday and forcefully rejected allegations he tried to force a state administrator to resign seven years ago because the official was gay. "I was raised by a Jewish mother who was … [Read more...]
Senate Republicans pass judicial nominating commission changes
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...]