Litigation

Another Pastor in IA Ouster Effort

By Peter Hardin

Another pastor has joined the effort to take aim at three state Supreme Court justices on the retention ballot in Iowa this fall. Religious leaders ought to tell their followers about “out of control” judges, he says.

According to an Iowa Independent article, pastor Jeff Mullen of Point of Grace Church in Waukee has launched a web site, IowaPastors.com, with intent to ?build strategic partnerships to mobilize Pastors and Congregations to pray effectively and to vote righteously.?

In Iowa, social conservatives are working to oust three justices who are up for retention (up-or-down) elections, and who participated in a unanimous court ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. You can read in Gavel Grab about a Sioux City pastor’s urging other religious leaders to instruct their congregations to vote no on the retention ballot.

A discussion about the retention elections, hosted by the Iowa State Bar, is the topic of a Radio Iowa report. According to a West Cedar Falls Courier article, a lawyers’ group, Iowa Association for Justice, cautioned separately that a successful ouster effort could erode judicial independence.

The Des Moines Register, meanwhile, reported on a forum at the Iowa State Bar Association headquarters. The article was headlined, “Judicial retention: Safety valve, or politics amok?”

Full post as published by The Gavel on October 08, 2010 (boomark / email).