Litigation

Gingrich Pivotal in IA Ouster Campaign

By Peter Hardin

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich helped secure $200,000 in start-up money for the successful campaign to oust three Iowa Supreme Court justices over the court’s controversial same-sex marriage ruling.

The potential Republican presidential candidate “played a key behind-the-scenes role” in getting the money, according to a Los Angeles Times article. More broadly, he is wooing Christian evangelicals as he lays the foundation for a possible presidential campaign.

Regarding the Iowa ouster campaign, “It wouldn’t have happened without Newt,”  David Lane, executive director of Iowa for Freedom, which led the drive, told the Times. “Newt provided strategic advice and arranged the initial seed money, about $200,000, which is what got everything started.”

Lane said the money came from an anonymous donor.

To learn more about Gingrich’s views regarding judges, see Gavel Grab. For background about the historic Iowa ouster effort, responding to a ruling that permitted same-sex marriage, click here for other Gavel Grab articles.

Meanwhile a bill introduced in Iowa’s legislature would eliminate merit selection for judges on the Iowa Court of Appeals and replace it with appointment by the governor and state Senate confirmation, according to Gavel to Gavel, a publication of the National Center for State Courts.

The article was headlined, “Unable to change merit selection for Supreme Court, Iowa legislators look to end it for Court of Appeals.” The proposal is similar to one in Kansas (see Gavel Grab).

Full post as published by The Gavel on March 05, 2011 (boomark / email).