The Politicization of Judicial Elections and Its Effect on Judicial Independence and LGBT Rights

This program was inspired by the November, 2010 elections in which three sitting Iowa Supreme Court justices were ousted as a result of the court’s unanimous ruling in Varnum v. Brien. The Varnum decision held that a state statute limiting marriage rights to a man and a woman was unconstitutional because it violated the equal protection clause in Iowa’s constitution. The conference furthers the dialogue on the effect that the justices’ ouster may have on judicial independence, and its impact on ongoing efforts to challenge laws that prohibit same-sex marriage and to advance LGBT equality through state court litigation.