NOM: Mission Overturn Iowa Marriage

Gronstal
was joined by Iowa U.S. senator Tom Harkin, who condemned the votes as
harmful to an independent judiciary. “Iowa’s justices shouldn’t have to
look over their shoulders when applying the law,” Harkin said in a
statement to The Advocate.“This anti-retention effort, which was
largely funded by out-of-state interest groups, flies in the face of our
historical commitment to protecting Iowa’s legal system from the whims
of politics. Substituting public opinion for legal opinion will not give
Iowans the fair, impartial judicial system they have come to expect.”


But
the judicial ousting has also energized marriage equality-minded
citizens who are outraged by the specter of another Proposition 8
scenario, where fundamental rights are revoked by a simple majority
vote, said One Iowa executive director Carolyn Jenison.


“We have
heard from people from across the state and the country who realize the
impact this has,” said Jenison, whose organization is also extensively
lobbying state legislators against a constitutional amendment. “We’ve
always been thoughtful and fair-minded in this state. This vote does not
reflect Iowa values. And it’s going to leave a black mark on our
history.”