An opinion piece was published in the Des Moines Register on August 9, 2024, aimed at Justice David May’s upcoming retention election due to his ruling in a 4-3 decision on Iowa’s six-week abortion ban. As chair of the Iowa State Bar Association’s Independence Judiciary Commission, Guy Cook, along with committee member Cynthia Moser, wrote an op-ed response titled “Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right. Don’t Try and Remove an Iowa Justice Out of Spite.” Guy and Cynthia point out that attempting to penalize a single judge for a ruling by the majority of the Iowa Supreme Court is “unhealthy and unprincipled.” They acknowledge that disagreeing with a judge’s ruling or opinion is normal, but not a justification to vote them out. The Iowa State Bar Association’s Independence of the Judiciary Committee works to keep politics out of the judicial system. Guy and Cynthia encourage citizens who disagree with a court’s interpretation of a law to direct their concerns to Iowa legislators, the governor, and federal politicians to seek amendments to the law.
Read Guy’s article that was published in the Des Moines Register here: https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/columnists/iowa-view/2024/08/16/judicial-independence-iowa-retention-elections-supreme-court-justice-david-may/74804745007/
In addition, find an in-depth discussion from Guy on the River to River podcast “What’s the purpose of a judicial retention election?” https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/river-to-river/2024-10-01/iowa-supreme-court-judicial-retention-2024-election-david-may