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Category Archives: Iowa

Iowa Gay Marriage Fraud Prevents At Least One Man From Taking a Bride

May 7, 2013 – 9:00 am

A former rural Iowa court official pleaded guilty Monday to forgery for filing false documents to issue a marriage license to a same-sex couple from central Florida, in the first case of its kind in Iowa.

... The resolution drew criticism from Joab Penney of Williston, Fla., who says Van Nice's actions duped him out of $150 and gave him an unending legal headache. Penney said he was outraged when court officials advised him Monday he should hire an attorney to petition to void his marriage license - which he said should have never been issued in the first place.

...The Florida men discovered the fraud months later, when Penney contacted an attorney to seek a divorce. The attorney was suspicious because the men had never been to Iowa and Van Nice mailed the application materials from her home, not the courthouse. The attorney contacted authorities asking for an investigation.Penney said he now wants to marry a woman in Florida, but officials there say that he's legally married to Parker and needs to obtain a divorce first.

...Penney said he has been frustrated by the lack of answers from officials in Iowa and the legal limbo he's in.

"I want to get married here to a woman, and I can't," he said. "It's a major headache. I've changed my lifestyle because of all of this. It has offended me that much."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Florida, Iowa, Law, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (9)

Iowa GOP Chairman Stands Strong for Marriage

March 25, 2013 – 10:00 am

The head of the Iowa GOP is 32-year-old A. J. Spiker, here's what he said about the GOP and marriage:

"While inclusion is important, elected Republicans (we all know the most recent example) and National/State Party leaders who embrace so-called same sex marriage are doing grave harm to our Party and the whole of society. Lets not forget, so-called same sex marriage is an irreconcilable difference with the Republican Party's largest constituency... Committed Christians." (Slate)

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Democracy Now: Help Allow Iowans to Vote on Marriage!

March 1, 2013 – 1:10 pm

Dear Marriage Supporter,

I have exciting news — Eighteen Republicans in the Iowa Senate have introduced a measure to allow the people of Iowa to vote on Marriage!

Please send a quick email to Republicans thanking them for respecting the right of Iowans to have a say about the definition of marriage — an institution so fundamental to our society and which protects children by giving them the mother and father they deserve!

And please also email Democrats and ask them to stand with us for principle and values and NOT with the party bosses who have refused for years to allow this resolution to come to the floor for an up or down vote.

It's critical that your voice is heard in Des Moines. Gay marriage was imposed on Iowa in 2009 by judicial fiat by the Iowa Supreme Court. In 2010, Iowans won a historic victory when they unseated three of the responsible judges in a statewide retention vote.

But for the past four years Democrats have refused to even consider a measure allowing a free and fair vote of the people on marriage to reach the floor for an up-or-down vote!

That's why I'm so excited to see Republicans in Des Moines not giving up. Please honor their commitment to marriage by sending a positive message of support and encouragement to them — and encouraging more Republicans to support this resolution.

And don't forget — Democrats need to hear from you as well. The media is always trying to claim that Republicans are split on the issue of marriage (not true) but the media also hides the fact that many, many Democrats stand with us on the critical issue of marriage — these politicians need to hear from you today!

Thank you for taking time out of your day to do this important action.

By Brian Brown | Posted in Alerts, Iowa | Comments (21)

Iowa GOP Chairman: We're the Pro-Marriage Party

February 13, 2013 – 4:00 pm

Pat Brady, chair of the Illinois GOP, should learn a lesson from A.J. Spiker, the chair of the Iowa GOP:

The head of the Iowa Republican Party said he will continue to uphold the GOP's opposition to same-sex marriage.

During a taping of the public television program “Iowa Press” on Thursday, A.J. Spiker said the Iowa GOP believes marriage should be allowed only between one man and one woman.

Some Iowa Republicans have called for the party to embrace same-sex marriage.

Spiker said: “There is one gay marriage party in the state of Iowa, and that's the Iowa Democratic Party.” (Omaha.com)

Please continue to let the Illinois GOP know that Chairman Brady needs to go.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Illinois, Iowa, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (3)

Iowans for Freedom: 4 Reasons to Fire Wiggins

November 6, 2012 – 1:00 pm

Iowans For Freedom:

1) Wiggins made and executed law from the bench. Judges can’t do that. Article 12.Section 1 of the Iowa Constitutions says, “The general assembly shall pass ALL laws…”

2) Wiggins is the worst rated Supreme Court Judge in 50-year retention history. He received only a 63% retention recommendation from his own peers.

3) Wiggins broke the Iowa Judicial Code of Conduct. He violated Iowa Code when he did his own research. Iowa Code Chapter 51:2.9 says “A judge shall not investigate facts in a matter independently” but on pg. 54 of the Varnum opinion, they noted the evidence was “confirmed by our own independent research.”

4) It’s “We the People”, not we the courts.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Iowa, Law, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (5)

NRO: "Social Conservatives Turning Out to Remove [Pro-SSM] Judge May Deliver the State to Romney"

November 4, 2012 – 6:00 pm

Betsy Woodruff writes at National Review:

It’s certainly not a sure thing, but the fate of one David Wiggins could play a key role in determining, on November 6, who becomes the leader of the free world.

David Wiggins is a justice on the Iowa Supreme Court, and this fall he’s up for a retention vote. A controversial decision about gay marriage has given rise to a sizeable grassroots movement among Hawkeye social conservatives who want to push him out. Their get-out-the-vote efforts could mobilize otherwise unmotivated conservative voters and tip the balance in Iowa. It’s a state where Mitt Romney was not expected to win, but he now trails by just two points in the Real Clear Politicsaverage.

This is happening because of the Iowa Supreme Court’s controversial 2009 decision on the state’s restricting its marriage licenses to straight coouples. The seven justices on the court ruled unanimously that the statute denied same-sex couples equal protection and didn’t serve a compelling state interest. But the kicker for conservatives, according to former Iowa GOP political director Craig Robinson, came when the court also stipulated that same-sex couples had now won the right to marry. The unconstitutionality of one statute doesn’t imply that its inverse is law, Robinson notes, but that was the result of the court’s ruling. Opponents of the ruling argue that in legislating from the bench, the justices overstepped their constitutional bounds and deserve to be thrown out.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Iowa, Law, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Mitt Romney, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Iowans for Freedom: Iowa Voters Will See Through Justice Not Politics’ Hypocrisy

November 2, 2012 – 2:30 pm

A press release from Iowans for Freedom:

Iowans for Freedom has been accused of inserting politics into Iowa’s judiciary by accepting out-of-state money to educate Iowans on voting “no” on Supreme Court Judge David Wiggins’ retention. Now in the closing days of the election, IFF’s biggest critic on this matter has accepted $100,000 from a Washington, D.C. based PAC whose tagline is “working for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equal rights”.

“I am in disbelief at how Justice Not Politics has constantly criticized us for taking out-of-state money and claim we are putting politics in the judiciary for merely wanting to hold an activist judge in check,” Executive Director of Iowans for Freedom Greg Baker said. “Yet, they in the final days of the campaign, have taken $100,000 from a Washington, D.C. organization whose sole mission is to further the gay agenda. I’m sure they were hoping Iowans wouldn’t notice the hypocrisy.”

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

NOM, Others, Investing Resources to Oust Wiggins in Iowa

October 31, 2012 – 9:00 am

Omaha.com:

Out-of-state money is flowing into Iowa in an attempt to oust Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins for his 2009 vote in a ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.

Among the big spenders are the National Organization for Marriage, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit that has worked to defeat same-sex marriage proposals, and a political action committee founded by former Pennsylvania GOP Sen. Rick Santorum.

“I think there (are) a lot of organizations ... who see the threat of judicial activism as really having a negative impact on the family,” said Bob Vander Plaats, president and CEO of The Family Leader, one of the organizations opposing Wiggins' retention.

... The National Organization for Marriage, for instance, spent more than $635,000 two years ago. This year, reports indicate the group has spent about $140,000, most of it on television ads advocating Wiggins' ouster."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Politics, Same Sex Marriage, United for Marriage | Comments (3)

PPP: Vote NO on Judge Wiggins Ahead 43%-37% in Iowa

October 22, 2012 – 3:30 pm

Encouraging news from PPP that the effort to unseat another pro-SSM Iowa Supreme Court Justice is going well:

"Iowa's Supreme Court retention election looks like it could be pretty close. Right now 37% of voters say they plan to keep David Wiggins in office, while 43% say they're inclined to remove him. With 20% of voters still undecided it could go either way, but Republicans (65%) are more committed to removing him right now than Democrats (59%) are to keeping him."

By NOM Staff | Posted in Election Watch 2012, Iowa, Law, Marriage, Marriage Election Watch, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Video: PBS Looks at the Iowa Judicial Retention Movement

October 11, 2012 – 1:00 pm

PBS with a lengthy segment on the successful effort to to recall three pro-SSM Iowa Supreme Court Justices in 2010 and the efforts to add a fourth to that number this year:

Watch Judicial Elections on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Read a transcript here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (12)

Video: Best Of the No Wiggins Bus Tour!

October 10, 2012 – 10:00 am

The No Wiggins Bus Tour included 17 cities and over 1,300 miles, as well as appearances by Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Steve King, Bob Vander Plaats, and our own Brian Brown.

Check out the highlight reel:

Paid for by National Organization for Marriage, 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, Brian Brown, President. Not authorized by any candidate, candidate’s committee, or ballot issue committee.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments Off

AP: "Vote on Iowa Justice ... Seen As Barometer"

October 9, 2012 – 8:00 am

The AP:

Iowa Supreme Court Justice David Wiggins isn't well known outside the legal community of his state, and even inside that group, isn't particularly popular.

But the question of whether he should keep his job has become one of the most fiercely contested judicial issues on the Nov. 6 ballot because of what he symbolizes in the debate over gay marriage and the role of courts.

Three years ago, Wiggins and his six colleagues ruled that the state's law banning gay marriage was unconstitutional, which made Iowa the third state to recognize same-sex unions and the first outside the coasts. The decision triggered a furor among conservatives, who mounted an aggressive campaign a year later to defeat three of the justices whose terms came up for ballot review.

Now, the future of Wiggins, whose term comes up this year, is sparking an even bigger battle as liberal groups and lawyers shocked by the outcome in 2010 fight back on his behalf.

... The opposing sides have launched "Vote Yes" and "No Wiggins" campaigns and are spending heavily to get their messages out. The National Organization for Marriage provided $100,000 for an anti-Wiggins television ad this week and conservative stars Rick Santorum and Bobby Jindal led a cross-state bus tour denouncing Wiggins as a liberal judicial activist.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (1)

Video of Brian Brown in Iowa for NoWiggins.com: "Change the Course of History!"

October 2, 2012 – 12:00 pm

Brian Brown at the NoWiggins bus tour stop in Marshalltown, Iowa rallies the troops for marriage and for the constitution:

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Video: No Wiggins Bus Tour Catches Attention of MSNBC

October 2, 2012 – 7:00 am

The liberal MSNBC host interviewing Bob Vanderplaats continually attempts to offer false common ground which Vanderplaats refuses to cede.

Check out the video right here.

By NOM Staff | Posted in Iowa, Law, Marriage, Media, Same Sex Marriage | Comments (2)

Brian Brown and Gov. Boby Jindal On the No Wiggins Iowa Bus Tour!

September 27, 2012 – 10:45 am

Our president Brian Brown sent us this photo of him with Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal after their appearance together for the "No Wiggins" bus tour now taking place in Iowa:

Here's video of Gov. Jindal's remarks:

Here's how the local press covered the stop:

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal urged roughly 65 Iowa conservatives clustered in a small downtown park to make sure they vote this November in “what may be the most important election of our lifetimes.”

... Marshalltown was the 11^th stop on the four-day, 17-city “No Wiggins” tour, which concludes Thursday in Orange City.

Iowans for Freedom, backed by conservative groups that include the National Organization for Marriage and Patriot Voices, a group founded by former presidential candidate Rick Santorum, are urging Iowans to vote “No” on a Nov. 6 ballot measure that will decide whether Wiggins retains his seat on the Iowa Supreme Court.

Wiggins is the fourth of seven Iowa justices who took part in a unanimous 2009 decision that legalized same-sex marriage in this state. The three previous justices were ousted following a similar campaign in 2010.

“This is after all the elites said this could never be done,” Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, said in Marshalltown remarks shortly before Jindal. He urged Iowans to “do this again” and promised that “we will do anything we can to help you.”

Find out more about the tour at NoWiggins.com.

“Paid for by National Organization for Marriage, 2029 K Street NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, Brian Brown, President. Not authorized by any candidate, candidate’s committee, or ballot issue committee.”