Litigation

Iowa Retention Elections in Spotlight

By Peter Hardin

Some judges in Iowa may be vulnerable in retention elections this year, given a controversial decision by the state Supreme Court legalizing same-sex marriage in 2009.

That analysis comes from a USA Today article examining a potentially volatile political landscape.

Under the state?s merit selection system, three Iowa justices will be up for retention elections this year, and some conservatives are pressing for votes against them (see Gavel Grab).

Judges may have little time to respond if they face last-minute drives to toss them out, the article reported. “I’m not at all hesitant to say I expect attacks,” said Rachel Caufield, a Drake University professor. “We’ve seen it in other states, and we’ve seen that they often come late in the game.”

Such attacks in retention, or up-or-down, elections typically are launched by out-of-state groups that want to send a message, Caufield said.

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