Iowa Supreme Court Unanimously Affirms Constitutional Right to Marriage Equality!

Share article:

In yet another Constitutionally conservative ruling, from yet another state Supreme Court, the very American values of equal protection under the law and protection of the minority against the tyranny of the majority (and against the tyranny of Big Government intrusion into private lives) have been upheld in Iowa today!

The Iowa Supreme Court this morning upheld a Polk County judge’s 2007 ruling that marriage should not be limited to one man and one woman.

The ruling, viewed nationally and at home as a victory for the gay rights movement and a setback for social conservatives, means Iowa’s 5,800 gay couples can legally marry in Iowa beginning April 24.

Today’s decision makes Iowa the first Midwestern state, and the third in the country, to allow same-sex marriages. Lambda Legal, a gay rights group, financed the court battle and represented six couples who challenged Iowa’s 10-year-old ban on gay marriage.

Supreme Court Justice Mark Cady [ed note: a Republican appointee], who wrote the unanimous decision, at one point invoked the court’s first-ever decision, in 1839, which struck down slavery laws 17 years before the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of a slave owner to treat a person as property.

In addition to real Constitutional conservatives who should be rejoicing today, true Fiscal conservatives should also appreciate today’s ruling, which is bound to be a boon to the state’s economy since “There are no residency rules for marriage in Iowa, so the rule would apply to any couple who wanted to travel to Iowa.”

Welcome into the light of civilized society and equality for all, Iowa! That’s three states down (MA, CT and IA), with just 47 more to go!

UPDATE: As the emailed headline linking to the following article was so darn good, we just had to offer them a link for their good work: “Court Decision Deals Gay Opponents a Hard Blow” 🙂

FURTHER UPDATE: Steve Benen at Washington Monthly points out: “In recent years, four state Supreme Courts have ruled in support of same sex-marriage…And what do all four have in common? Each was appointed to their respective state Supreme Court by a Republican governor.” Those darn ‘judicial activists’ strike again!

Share article:

--- COMMENTS follow below Ad Content ---

Reader Comments on

Iowa Supreme Court Unanimously Affirms Constitutional Right to Marriage Equality!

15 Comments

(Comments are now closed.)


15 Responses

  1. 1)
    karen from illinois said on 4/3/2009 @ 1:01pm PT: [Permalink]

    something is up with the blog today..the hucklebee story doesnt have comments under it and the blog just stops (whr i can ussually scroll back thru old articles)

    the “joke” of a rep “keeping dem voters away” is more like a felony

    hucklebee makes true Christians everywhr look bad

    [Ed Note: Thanks, Karen! Bad code in that article on my part. Hopefully it’s now fixed. If not, please let me know! – BF]

  2. 3)
    cann4ing said on 4/3/2009 @ 3:12pm PT: [Permalink]

    COMMENT #2 [Permalink]
    … Agent 99 said on 4/3/2009 @ 2:36 pm PT..

    It’s going to happen in California too.

    _________________________

    Probably not until we get a new measure on the ballot to repeal Prop H8.

  3. 4)
    Agent 99 said on 4/3/2009 @ 3:49pm PT: [Permalink]

    Whut? The State Supremes don’t want to tackle whether the voters can pass an unconstitutional measure? Do they have a choice? And who gave it to them? Did Jerry decide not to pitch a fit? Whut?

  4. 6)
    Floridiot said on 4/4/2009 @ 7:44am PT: [Permalink]

    I want to see the next campaign season there

    The knuks will be drooling all over themselves to get elected.

    The state will belong to “the crazies” (neo-cons) for the next 20 years after this

  5. 9)
    Ancient said on 4/4/2009 @ 4:56pm PT: [Permalink]

    I saw that too 99. Now, will we see science “take it’s rightful place” as Obama declared? Not for revenge, but the for the good of the whole world. You know, I finally see the good in blow your face off; he’s an excellent example to all human beings of what not to be! 🙂

  6. 13)
    Jeannie Dean in LA-13 said on 4/5/2009 @ 1:46pm PT: [Permalink]

    Mr. Canning (#3) ~

    …really? I’d be very interested to hear/ read more about how you think the CAL Super-premies are going to handle this PROP 8 fiasco. Am I correct in understanding that there is roughly a 90 day ETA for this decision? Or can they sit on this one for as long as they choose? How much influence do you think this Iowa decision might have on them? Seems to be a perfect rubber-stamp validation of their original, unerring declaration on behalf of constitutional Rule of Law to me! What legal argument can they use to alter so much unblemished precedent – including THEIR OWN? I would just eat up (and digg and reddit and FB and tweet up) a guest article from you on this subject…

    Also, I know Emily Levy of Velvet Revolution and others worked tirelessly to prevent the results of PROP 8 from being certified, as there were the usual red-flag anomalies in the election results. (ie. slim margin of victory in the face of “incorrect” exit polls, late vote totals despite early declaration of victory from prop8onents, the completely bogus shifting of blame to the 70% blacks to explain the last minute shift needed for passage, etc…)

    I think Bev Harris has some stunning time slices
    that showed votes being added and subtracted in strange fits and starts throughout election night into the next morning, and the many subsequent days it took to complete the count. Does anyone know if that complete data was ever coalated, released, or investigated more thoroughly? …

    Personally, I don’t think Prop 8 even passed in the first place. I look forward to this fight as victory inevitable.

    Thanks, Iowa.

  7. 14)
    FreedomOfInformationAct said on 4/6/2009 @ 12:01pm PT: [Permalink]

    Prop H8 will fail, just as Prop 22 did. It’s coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it!

(Comments are now closed.)


--- Ad Content ---

BB SIDEBAR NOTICE

Thanks to you, The BRAD BLOG has been trouble-making and muckraking for … 22 YEARS!!!

Please help The BRAD BLOG, BradCast and Green News Report remain independent and 100% reader and listener supported in our 23rd YEAR!!!

ONE TIME
any amount...

MONTHLY
any amount...

OR VIA SNAIL MAIL
Make check out to...
Brad Friedman / BRAD BLOG
7095 Hollywood Blvd., #594
Los Angeles, CA 90028

RECENT POSTS

Sunday ‘CSI: Trump’ Toons

THIS WEEK: Where There's Smoke ... ICE ... Blanche ... Iran ... In Memoriam ...

Energy, Interior Chiefs Beclown Selves for Trump, Fossil Fuel Industry as America Chokes, Drowns, Burns: ‘BradCast’ 7/16/2024

Corrupt stooges Wright and Bergum dutifully try to hoax U.S. about wind, solar, data centers; Relatedly: Hochul signs first-in-the-nation data center moratorium...

‘Green News Report’ – July 16, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

Former Correspondents Charge VOA Being Unlawfully Used for Propaganda Amid Iran War: ‘BradCast’ 7/15/2026

Guest: Steve Herman, former Voice of America White House Bureau Chief; Also: Trump Nat'l Intelligence nom won't say who won 2020; Musk referred for 'election bribery'; Trump endorses 'Pillow Guy' for MN Guv...

Trump Losing Everything Everywhere All At Once: ‘BradCast’ 7/14/2026

Court battles, policy fights, Iran War, more; 'This is very much a story about what a loser does'...

Court Finds ‘Bad Faith’ in Trump’s ‘Untenable’, ‘Collusive’ Lawsuit, ‘Settlement Agreement’ with IRS

Ruling negates $1.8 billion 'weaponization' fund; exposes illegality of effort to create immunity from IRS audits; refers Acting AG Blanche, Asst. AG Woodward, Plaintiffs' attorneys to Bar Associations for discipline...

‘Green News Report’ – July 14, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

Trump Fires All Commissioners on U.S. Elections Assistance Commission — Should We Worry?: ‘BradCast’ 7/13/2026

Guest: Election security expert Susan Greenhalgh; Also: Lindsey dead; Mitch alive (theoretically); U.S. restarts forever war in Iran, with Trump vowing to charge tolls on Strait of Hormuz...

Sunday ‘Everything F**ked Up’ Toons

THIS WEEK: Pacific Persians! ... Red Menace! ... Sex Pests! ...

LINDSEY GRAHAM DEAD AT 71

UPDATES: Medical examiner cites 'aorta rupture' as cause of Graham's death; McConnell issues first statement, photo on his own recovery from fall, hospitalization, pneumonia, silence about condition...

Dead Ends: Iran, Platner, McConnell: ‘BradCast’ 7/9/2026

Guest: Prof. David Faris, Roosevelt University author, political scientist...

‘Green News Report’ – July 9, 2026

with Brad Friedman & Desi Doyen...

John Roberts and his Corrupt Republican SCOTUS Majority Winning the Long Game: ‘BradCast’ 7/8/2026

Guest: Former Dep. Asst. A.G. Lisa Graves on the Chief Justice's decades-long fights to undermine voting rights, expand Presidential power...

The Trump Crime Family’s Staggering Second-Term Crime Spree Comes into View: ‘BradCast’ 7/7/2026

Also: Platner support collapses in ME; How Trump's 'Freedom 250' hijacked America's 250th birthday...using wire fraud to do it...

About Brad Friedman...

Brad is an independent investigative journalist, blogger and broadcaster.
Full Bio & Testimonials…
Media Appearance Archive…
Articles & Editorials Elsewhere…
Contact…

He is featured in these documentary films…
…And has contributed chapters to these books…

BRAD BLOG ON THE AIR!

THE BRADCAST on KPFK/Pacifica Radio Network (90.7FM Los Angeles, 98.7FM Santa Barbara, 93.7FM N. San Diego and nationally syndicated, Monday-Thursday, on many other affiliate stations! ALSO VIA PODCAST: RSS/XML feed | Pandora | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts/iTunes | iHeart | Amazon Music
GREEN NEWS REPORT, nationally syndicated, with new episodes on Tuesday and Thursday. ALSO VIA PODCAST: RSS/XML feed | Pandora | TuneIn | Apple Podcasts/iTunes | iHeart | Amazon Music
Media Appearance Archives…

--- Ad Content ---

ADDITIONAL STUFF

Brad Friedman/
The BRAD BLOG Named...

Buzz Flash's 'Wings of Justice' Honoree
Project Censored 2010 Award Recipient
The 2008 Weblog Awards