Litigation

IA Ouster Advocates Turn to Robo-Calls

By Peter Hardin

A group that has aired TV advertising to press for the ouster of three Iowa Supreme Court justices (see Gavel Grab) now is also using automated telephone calls to reach voters.

It was another sign of the unusually intense activity surrounding retention (up-or-down) elections in several states that Iowa for Freedom is using the automated technology to push for ‘no’ votes on the three justices. The group launched its campaign in response to a high court ruling in 2009 that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.

According to a Des Moines Register article, anyone who gets the robo-call and later dials back the originating number hears a message urging, “Voting no on the retention of three Iowa Supreme Court justices will send a clear message that we are taking back control of our government from political activist judges…On your ballot, vote ?no? on the three Supreme Court justices.”

Bob Vander Plaats, a leader in the ouster effort, said, “Our team senses a victory here.” He added, “I think they really see the opportunity here to close this out, so they?re going to put a full-court press on it.?

Defenders of Iowa’s merit-based system for choosing judges have warned that it threatens fair and impartial courts when a judicial election is politicized (see Gavel Grab).

In a panel discussion at Drake University Law School, one law expert said removing the justices would deal a long-term blow to public confidence in the integrity of the courts.

“It won’t simply destabilize the judiciary,”  Drake Law Professor David Walker said, according to another Des Moines Register report. “You won’t be able to look at a judge in a controversial case without wondering if that judge is basing their decision on a retention election.”

The Iowa retention election continues to garner national attention. An article in Salon was entitled, “Iowans prepare to oust Supreme Court judges for gay marriage decision.”

Full post as published by The Gavel on October 07, 2010 (boomark / email).