Iowa voters on Tuesday ousted three
Iowa Supreme Court judges who ruled in favor of gay marriage, the AP
reported.
The three judges were targeted by
social conservatives furious at the court's 2009 unanimous decision
that brought gay marriage to the Midwest.
Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and
Justices David Baker and Michael Streit were voted off the bench.
The other four judges were not on the ballot this year.
Under Iowa's system, justices are
appointed by the governor, but voters decide whether to retain judges
to an 8 year term.
The campaign to remove the judges from
the bench was spearheaded by Sioux City businessman Bob Vander
Plaats, who launched the Iowa for Freedom campaign after losing the
Republican nomination for governor. Vander Plaats' campaign was
heavily financed by out-of-state anti-gay marriage groups, including
the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), the nation's most
vociferous opponent of gay marriage, the Family Research Council
(FRC), and the Christian-based American Family Association (AFA).
NOM had previously worked to repeal gay marriage laws in California
and Maine.
“I think it will send a message
across the country that the power resides with the people,” Vander
Plaats told a crowd of supporters Tuesday night. “It's we the
people, not we the courts.”
Opponents of axing the judges argued
that the move will politicize the court.