Camilla Taylor, a senior staff attorney in Lambda Legal’s Midwest regional office in Chicago, was beside herself with joy after Judge Robert Hanson ruled.
‘We’re thrilled and elated on behalf of all same-sex couples in Iowa,’ she told Windy City Times. ‘The decision really lived up to the promise of equality in Iowa’s constitution.’ She added that ‘Iowa has historically been known for doing the right thing long before its neighbors. It’s just another example of Iowa taking the first step in upholding civil liberties.’
However, according to the Associated Press, although 20 couples had applied for marriage licenses by the morning of Aug. 31, current Polk County Recorder Julie Haggerty said that he was told to no longer accept applications. (The judge’s stay was confirmed shortly thereafter.) One couple—Iowa State University students Sean Fritz and Tim McQuillan—managed to become legally married by bypassing the three-day waiting period.
County attorney John Sarcone quickly appealed Hanson’s decision, prompting the stay—which will be in effect until the legal situation is resolved. ‘We intend to litigate this case before the Iowa Supreme Court and we’re confident that the lower court decision will be upheld,’ Taylor said.
Polk County, whose population in 2006 was estimated at just over 408,000, is in central Iowa. Its county seat, Des Moines, is also the state’s capital.
—Andrew Davis and Amy Wooten