Making the Case for Marriage in Iowa

Lambda Legal will argue our marriage case, Varnum v. Brien, before the Iowa Supreme Court on Tuesday, December 9. In August of 2007, a district court ruled in Varnum, a case that we filed on behalf of six same-sex couples seeking the right to marry in Iowa, that denying marriage to same-sex couples violates the Iowa Constitution. But the court granted a stay of the decision pending appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court. In March of 2008, we filed our brief with the Iowa Supreme Court, which was joined by 15 friend-of-the-court briefs supporting same-sex couples seeking the right to marry and the right of their children to have their families treated fairly.

If the Iowa Supreme Court upholds the district court ruling, Iowa would join the high courts of Massachusetts, California and Connecticut, which have recognized the right of same-sex couples to marry.

One Iowa and Lambda Legal are co-hosting a number of educational events throughout the state related to this historic moment on the road to marriage equality. We hope our Iowa friends and allies will join us in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Council Bluffs and Sioux City to hear about the oral argument and the landmark case, and to find out how everyone can support full marriage equality in Iowa.

The oral argument in Varnum v. Brien, scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Central on December 9, will be streamed live over the internet at the Iowa Judicial Branch website and tentatively through several media outlets, including KCCI-TV, KCRG-TV, WHO-TV and the Des Moines Register. In addition, Lambda Legal and One Iowa are hosting "watch parties" in Des Moines, Ames and Iowa City.