Iowa Marriage Decision Due Tomorrow

Tomorrow the Iowa Supreme Court will issue its decision on marriage equality.

The case involves six same-sex Iowa couples who sued Polk County Recorder Timothy Brien in 2005 after his office denied them marriage licenses. The lawsuit argued that it would be unlawful to ban same-sex couples from marriage based on the equal protection and due process guarantees of the Iowa Constitution. The state’s Defense of Marriage Act, passed in 1998 by a 40-9 margin in the Senate and an 89-10 margin in the House, defines marriage as being solely between a man and a woman. Iowa District Court Judge Robert Hanson sided with the plaintiffs, but later put a hold on his decision awaiting a verdict from the Supreme Court.

The decision will be posted by 8:30am on this site. Cross your fingers, kids. Iowa would become the first midwestern state with marriage equality. The state has no residency requirement, meaning gay couples from other states would be free to marry there.