Politics, Principle and an Attack on the Courts

An editorial in today's New York Times highlights the importance of the upcoming judicial retention elections in Iowa:

Two years ago [...] Iowa voters threw out three State Supreme Court justices for taking seriously their duty to protect fundamental rights. The three had provoked right-wing wrath for joining a unanimous 2009 ruling overturning the state’s prohibition on same-sex marriage. Conservative forces succeeded in ousting them by tapping antigay sentiment and attacking “activist” judges. Those same forces [...] are now calling for the removal of David Wiggins, another capable judge who joined in the marriage decision.

The Times' bottom line?: "Iowa’s system of merit appointment of judges followed by up-or-down retention elections is meant to allow for the removal of corrupt or incompetent judges, not to facilitate partisan manipulation and judicial intimidation."

Previously: "Iowa Retention Redux: A Renewed Attack on Our System of Justice"