Legalizing gay marriage in Iowa carried a heavy cost for three justices of the Iowa Supreme Court who were booted off the bench in a subsequent judicial retention election.
More than 11,000 same-sex couples have married in Iowa since the unanimous 2009 court decision, which made Iowa the third state in the U.S. to legalize same-sex marriage.
The federal court ruling vindicates the Iowa justices’ decision, ruling similarly that same-sex couples have a right to marry under the Constitution. It affirms the practice in 37 states, which have declared same-sex marriage legal and will legalize the practice in the remaining 13 states that currently don’t allow it.
