Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-08), Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, hailed today’s ruling by the Supreme Court of Iowa to strike down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage. Iowa is now the fourth U.S. state to allow gay marriage, after Massachusetts, California and Connecticut.


“The Iowa Supreme Court’s unanimous decision that equal protection means that gay and lesbian couples must be allowed to marry in Iowa is a victory for liberty and equality,” said Rep. Nadler. “This is a resounding endorsement of core constitutional principles coming from the heartland of our nation and a mark of Iowa’s continued leadership and courage on critical civil rights issues. Just as Iowa led the nation in rejecting slavery, desegregating its schools, and opening doors for women in the workplace, Iowa has now taken its place as a leader in this fight for equality. I maintain my hope that the federal government, New York, and other states will follow its lead.”

In reaching this historic decision, the Court concluded that “the legislature has excluded a historically disfavored class of persons from a supremely important civil institution without a constitutionally sufficient justification,” and that Iowa must allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. With regard to religious opposition and support for marriage equality, the Court made clear that this religious debate would – and must – continue without judicial interference:

“We, of course, have a constitutional mandate to protect the free exercise of religion in Iowa . . . we give respect to the views of all Iowans on the issue of same-sex marriage – religious or otherwise – by giving respect to our constitutional principles. These principles require that the state recognize both opposite-sex and same-sex civil marriage. Religious doctrine and views contrary to this principle of law are unaffected, and people can continue to associate with the religion which best reflects their views.”