We knew something was fishy in Des Moines, when Democrats outnumbers Republicans on the Judicial Nominating Commission by 12 to 1.
Under Iowa' current system the Governor picks from three judges recommended by the Commission--and he cannot pick anyone else.
Here's what we didn't know, but Bopp, Coleson and Bostrum figured out: Seven of the Commission members are elected--but in an election in which only lawyers have a right to vote.
The lawsuit filed on behalf of four Iowa voters calls for an end to "lawyers-only" elections in the state of Iowa. Talk about your one-man one-vote case!
According to attorney James Bopp, Jr., lead counsel for the plaintiffs, the Iowa system “gives attorneys a stranglehold on the judiciary. Lawyers in Iowa have enormous influence over who the state judges are, while the ordinary voter is denied the right to an equal voice.”
The case is Carlson, et al. v. Cady, et al., 10-cv-587 (S.D. Iowa). The complaint and memorandum supporting the motion for a temporary restraining order are available in PDF format online at the James Madison Center’s website,
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