Anti-Gay Groups Defeat Iowa Supreme Court Justices

TPM reported Anti-Gay Groups Defeat Iowa Supreme Court Justices.

"In Iowa, judges are not elected. But at the end of each term, they go up for retention, meaning Iowans can vote yes or no one whether to keep them around. If they kick the justices out, as they did last night, the governor appoints new ones."

This system started in 1962 and this is the first time any Justice has been kicked out. Tuesday, all three that were up lost because of a vote last year where the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously found that said same-sex marriage was legal.

"Groups spent more than $700,000 to convince voters to kick the judges out, funding a statewide "Judge Bus" tour, radio ads, TV ads, text messages and polling. Even Citizens United chipped in $18,000 at almost the last minute. The president of the Human Rights Campaign, which drew attention to the anti-gay groups' efforts, warned today that the victory was intended to intimidate judges nationwide."

This is why the founders appointed Supreme Court judges for life and why Justice O'Connor is pushing to remove elections for state judges.