Iowa: Court Rejects Judge Challenge

A lawsuit filed by four conservative activists challenging Iowa's state court selection process was rejected by a federal court Wednesday.

The challengers claimed that the system gives too much power to attorneys who elect members of the state's 15-member Judicial Nominating Commission, according to The Des Moines Register. That panel then recommends three judges to the governor so that he may consider them for open positions.

"Undoubtedly, the right to vote for political representatives is the bedrock of American democracy," U.S. district judge Robert Pratt wrote in the ruling. "In this case, however, plaintiffs are asking the court to radically expand the scope of this fundamental right beyond all existing precedent and to recognize an entirely new 14th Amendment 'right' to greater influence in the selection of judges."

The lawsuit was brought forward by four Iowans represented by the James Madison Center for Free Speech, a conservative legal group. They filed the suit right before three supreme court justices who ruled to legalize marriage equality were voted out by Iowans in November.