IOWA: Republicans Draft Bill To Impeach Four Remaining Supreme Court Justices

Unsatisfied with the November retention vote that ousted three pro-equality Iowa Supreme Court justices, GOP lawmakers there are drafting a bill to impeach the remaining four for "malfeasance" because they enabled the legalization of same-sex marriage.

State Reps. Tom Shaw (R-Laurens), Glen Massie (R-Des Moines) and Kim Pearson (R-Pleasant Hill) are working on the legislation that could result in the removal of the four justices — Mark Cady, David Wiggins, Daryl Hecht and Brent Appel. During last month’s judicial retention vote, three justices were removed from the bench after a contentious campaign that saw five out-of-state anti-gay organizations spend nearly $1 million to oust the judges. The impeachment effort got a boost Wednesday when Speaker-elect Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) said if he thought Iowans wanted the four justices removed, he would not stand in the way. A few days earlier, state Sen. Kent Sorenson (R-Indianola), who will sit on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he will also push for impeachment proceedings.

RELATED: Last week an anti-gay Christian group filed a lawsuit demanding that the public be allowed to vote on the appointments of all future state Supreme Court justices.