As many of you have heard, the Supreme Court of Iowa held today that the Iowa marriage statute violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Iowa Constitution.   I thought I’d pause from discussing copyright for a moment to acknowledge the opinion’s factual writeup.   The use of the numbers twelve, six and one; contrasting long and short sentences; most Iowans, many Iowans, and all Iowans . . . elegant.  I have to place this among my favorite factual passages:

This lawsuit is a civil rights action by twelve individuals who reside in six communities across Iowa. Like most Iowans, they are responsible, caring, and productive individuals. They maintain important jobs, or are retired, and are contributing, benevolent members of their communities. They include a nurse, business manager, insurance analyst, bank agent, stay-at-home parent, church organist and piano teacher, museum director, federal employee, social worker, teacher, and two retired teachers. Like many Iowans, some have children and others hope to have children. Some are foster parents. Like all Iowans, they prize their liberties and live within the borders of this state with the expectation that their rights will be maintained and protected—a belief embraced by our state motto.

Despite the commonality shared with other Iowans, the twelve plaintiffs are different from most in one way. They are sexually and romantically attracted to members of their own sex. The twelve plaintiffs comprise six same-sex couples who live in committed relationships. Each maintains a hope of getting married one day, an aspiration shared by many throughout Iowa.