Continental promo
||  News  ||
 
April 27, 2006

GOP lawmakers in Iowa want in on same-sex marriage legal battle

Seventeen Republican state lawmakers in Des Moines, Iowa, have asked a judge to let them join a legal battle over whether same-sex marriages should be allowed. The lawmakers filed affidavits in a Polk County lawsuit, contending that they have an interest in the case because changing social policy could affect the state budget.

Six Iowa couples filed lawsuits in December after being denied marriage licenses. The lawsuit contends that Iowa marriage laws are unconstitutional because they draw "impermissible distinctions based on sex and sexual orientation."

The legislators—11 senators and six representatives—argue in court papers that "the impact on the state's budget, and on a wide variety and great number of laws, would be substantial" if gay couples are allowed to wed. Court papers filed on behalf of the six couples insist that the lawmakers "lack a legally cognizable interest" in the case and merely want to express their opinions in court.

Judge Robert Hanson has scheduled a June hearing on whether the legislators will be allowed to intervene. The lawsuit will begin in October, and the couples will ask Hanson to rule on the case without taking testimony, said attorney Dennis Johnson. If no testimony is accepted, the judge will likely rule on the case by the end of the summer. (AP)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max. HTML formatting and hyperlinks are NOT permitted.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

Error:Server capacity reached.
Error:Server capacity reached.
Error:Server capacity reached. Subscribe to the digital edition. Subscribe to the print edition.
Error:Server capacity reached.