Grab and Keel

Iowa’s 1998 Defense of Marriage Act is about to be tested in the State Supreme Court.

Iowa becomes a battleground in the same-sex marriage wars

With national interest running high, the state Supreme Court will hear oral arguments next week

By LYNDA WADDINGTON

12/4/08 1:48 PM

[Because of the state’s first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses, Iowans are no strangers to national media attention, power struggles of special interest groups and hot-button debates. In nearly any diner throughout the state, conversations on ethanol subsidies, the decline of Main Street and foreign policy are more commonplace than not.

The state’s next turn in the national spotlight begins on Tuesday, Dec. 9, when the state Supreme Court hears arguments on same-sex marriage….

…“I think one of the misconceptions is that the lawsuit seeks to change what various religious organizations are doing,” said Camilla Taylor, a senior staff attorney with Lambda Legal who argued the case in District Court. “All we are actually talking about is government-issued marriage licenses. Religious institutions have never been required to perform or condone civil marriage, and this lawsuit doesn’t change that.”]

http://iowaindependent.com/9241/iowa-becomes-a-battleground-in-the-same-sex-marriage-wars

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