O'Connor Speaks on Targeted Iowa Judges

Former U.S. Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O'Connor is speaking to a group of Iowa legal and business figures about keeping the court system merit-based rather than having judges run for election. The focus of the Wednesday panel discussion in Des Moines will be the three Iowa supreme court justices who ruled in favor of marriage equality in 2009, The Des Moines Register reports.

The state judges are facing heavy scrutiny, particularly from politician Bob Vander Plaats, who recently lost the Republican primary for Iowa governor to Terry Branstad. Vander Plaats, whose campaign focused on unseating the judges, is leading a campaign against justices David Baker and Michael Streit and Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, as they are up for retention.