Unanimous ruling: Iowa marriage no longer limited to one man, one woman - DesMoineRegister.com
In a decision that has garnered praise from gay marriage supporters, and has gained the ire of opponents, Iowa's Supreme Court has ruled that a state law banning same sex marriage was antithetical to the state's constitution. The court found that the law violated the equal protection clause of Iowa's State Constitution. The Supreme Court ruling upholds a lower court judge’s 2007 ruling that marriage should not be limited to one man and one woman. The unanimous decision, authored by Justice Mark Cady, declared "[Iowa's gay marriage ban] is unconstitutional, because the county has been unable to identify a constitutionally adequate justification for excluding plaintiffs from the institution of civil marriage,”.
Opponents, including the Iowa State Senate Republican Leader, called for an immediate move to amend the constitution.
However, the big legal question that remains is not whether or not gay marriage will remain legal in the state of Iowa. The question will be whether or not other states will recognize those marriages as legal. Iowa has no residency requirement for marriage. This means that Iowa can expect an influx of out of town gay couples seeking marriage. The next legal conflict will arise in states where the couples, who were legally married in Iowa, reside.