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Health & Fitness

A Fair Courts Forum: Talking about the courts

One Iowa Executive Director Donna Red Wing gives a recap of the Iowa Fair Courts Forum, which took place August 20 in Des Moines.

What happens when you bring together a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, an eminent law school dean, and a world class judicial advocate? We found out this week when the Iowa Fair Courts Coalition held a forum in Des Moines to discuss the very important issue of why the courts matter. 

Our panel speakers included former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Marsha Ternus, who was ousted in 2010 for her role in the Varnum v. Brien decision that paved the way for marriage equality in the state; Drake Law School Dean & Professor Allan Vestal; and Campaign Manager for Legal Progress Sandhya Bathija. Sue Dinsdale of the Iowa Citizen Action Network and  Chris Schwartz of Americans for Democratic Action joined me and my colleagues at One Iowa to bring these extraordinary leaders together to have a conversation with Iowans about the state and federal courts.

The forum was a lesson in how the courts work. The audience learned about the profound work of the courts and the surprising and unnecessary number of vacancies. They heard about the mechanics and the politics of it all, from blue slips to nomination obstruction. And, most importantly, they learned how to engage.

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I was impressed with both the speakers as well as the sophistication of the more than 60 attendees who crowded into the Thoreau Center in Des Moines to have the conversation. Most came with some understanding of the courts, but left with much more. At the end of the day, everyone understood just how essential the courts are in our everyday lives.

At the end of our discussion, we asked people to engage. We asked the participants to urge Iowa's very own Senator Chuck Grassley to move all pending nominations for the D.C. circuit to a full Senate vote. We asked them to become a member of the Iowa Fair Courts Coalition. We asked them to engage in this important educational work about "why courts matter." 

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Because when we talk about the courts, we end up discussing all the things that matter most to us: civil and human rights, equality for LGBT individuals, voting rights, immigration, race, the environment, the economy, and everything else in between. Every issue that one could care about has or will come before the courts.  Therefore, we ignore the courts at our own risk.

So what happens when you bring three brilliant people together in a public forum to discuss the importance of the courts? You create yet another cohort of citizens who understand, appreciate, and work toward a judiciary that is both fair and diverse--one that values civil liberties, equality under the law, and above all justice.

Check out some of the local coverage of the Iowa Fair Courts Forum:

Despite ouster, Ternus favors retention system (Des Moines Register)

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