(Neal Broverman | The Advocate) Three Iowa Supreme Court justices who voted to legalize same-sex marriage and were later removed from the bench by voters will be honored with the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.
Justices Marsha Ternus, Michael Streit, and David Baker voted in 2009 to legalize same-sex marriage in Iowa, making the state the first outside of New England to offer marriage equality. A year later, a right-wing effort brought by Family Leader CEO Bob Vander Plaats helped oust the judges when they were up for a retention vote.
At a ceremony in May, Ternus, Streit, and Baker will be honored for their ruling, which ultimately cost them their jobs.