Could this be a case where the silence is deafening? Governor-elect Terry Branstad is staying mum when asked what he thinks about the news that three Republican Congressmen intend to impeach the four remaining Iowa Supreme Court judges who brought marriage equality to that state in 2009.
Radio Iowa reports:
“This is a separate branch of government and I've got enough on my plate not to get into that one,” Branstad says. “So I don't intend to comment on it.”
Three members of the state's Supreme Court were ousted in November's judicial retention election. Critics charge the court overstepped its authority when it issued a unanimous 2009 ruling which paved the way for same-sex marriage in Iowa.
Branstad has repeatedly called on legislators to set the wheels in motion for a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in Iowa. As for impeachment, Branstad says that's the legislature's business, not his.
“The governor doesn't have a role in that,” Branstad says. “And I've got many things on my plate so I have not looked into that at all.”
Articles of impeachment first must be approved by the 100-member House, then a trial must be held in the Iowa Senate, followed by a vote of two-thirds of the state senators in order to impeach a justice.
In the past, Branstad has stated that he would give the people of Iowa the chance to vote on the same-sex marriage law: "The people of Iowa are the ones that should have the final say on this. They should be given the same opportunity as 31 other states and every state from Maine to California where it's been on the ballot, the people have voted for it."
