Litigation

Justice Cady Laments IA Impeachment Talk

By Peter Hardin

Iowa Chief Justice Mark Cady has promised transparency and openness in the judiciary as he engages in a speaking tour.

In the wake of the Election Day ouster of three state Supreme Court justices, Justice Cady said he found himself in a position he never requested, of explaining how the justice system works, the Quad City Times quoted him as saying.

Several state House legislators have talked of drafting articles of impeachment for four remaining justices, including Justice Cady, over the court’s unanimous ruling in 2009 that permitted same-sex marriages.

“A judge has never been removed through impeachment for making an unpopular decision,” Justice Cady told the newspaper’s editorial board. “I don’t think Iowa wants to be remembered as the first state to do this.”

Earlier, the Iowa-based Justice Not Politics group and the Justice at Stake Campaign released poll results showing Iowans firmly opposing impeachment of the four justices (see Gavel Grab). The poll was featured in the Quad City Times article and in a Des Moines Register blog.

Iowa House Republicans, meanwhile, submitted a joint resolution aimed at ultimately eliminating equal marriage rights for same-sex couple, by using a constitutional amendment, the Des Moines Register reported.

And Craig Robinson of the “Iowa Republican” blog wrote a commentary entitled, “Impeachment Supporters Should Put Up or Shut Up.” You can learn more about the controversy in Iowa from Gavel Grab.

.

Full post as published by The Gavel on January 19, 2011 (boomark / email).