Among the most dramatic election stories in last night's historic shift towards limited government was that all three of Iowa's Supreme Court justices on the ballot for retention were denied.Huh? In a system where judicial appointments are almost always lifetime appointments, voting judges out of office is the rarest of political events. So how did all three of these judges get tossed, and Supreme Court Justices at that?
The reason is found in the Court's unanimous decision legalizing homosexual marriage two years ago. In doing so, those judges arrogantly thumbed their noses at the law, the people of Iowa, and the moral standards of centuries of Western civilization. And yesterday, the first opportunity the people had to weigh in with their own opinions, they did so with this impressive rejection.
There were 74 judges on Iowa's ballot yesterday and, except for those three, they all won easily. As I said, tossing a judge off the bench is a highly unusual event. But because of the homosexual marriage decision, 54% of Iowans voted to turn out of office Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and associate justices Michael J. Streit and David L. Baker.
The news media is already spinning this as a tragedy, a politically-incorrect action fueled by a million dollar campaign against the judges by such religious organizations as the Family Research Council, the American Family Association and others. But despite the screams from the left, the people's decision in Iowa reveals that the mood of the electorate last night was for substantial change in American life -- and not just the concerns over the economy and national defense, but opposition to the overarching control by liberal tyrants of all elements of social life.
Whether they clothe themselves in Brooks Brothers suits or the more striking symbol of black robes, the liberal powers that have thwarted the practice of genuine democracy are beginning to realize that the demands for change coming from the American people are a lot deeper, stronger and more comprehensive than they feared.
Of course, those liberal powers that be will remain extremely difficult to remove. Even in this case, Iowa's Democrat Governor Chet Culver (defeated last night by Republican Terry Branstad) could use his lame duck tenure to replace those rejected Supreme Court Justices with liberals that are just as bad. That would certainly be a vengeful act against not only the people of Iowa but against the spirit of democracy itself.
But then Culver is a Democrat. And modern Democrats often have little regard for such outmoded ideals.
The larger issue, however, is whether or not conservatives learn from Iowa's experience yesterday. Will they begin to realize that the leftist activists that sit on judicial thrones in their states are not so big as to be removed?
And, if such a trend can be started nationwide, will the rule of the gavel begin to be replaced by the will of the people once again?
