A statement by Iowa’s Senate Majority Leader perhaps best sums up why I still stick up for Iowa:

“Iowa has always been a leader in the area of civil rights.

“In 1839, the Iowa Supreme Court rejected slavery in a decision that found that a slave named Ralph became free when he stepped on Iowa soil, 26 years before the end of the Civil War decided the issue.

“In 1868, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that racially segregated “separate but equal” schools had no place in Iowa, 85 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.

“In 1873, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled against racial discrimination in public accommodations, 91 years before the U.S. Supreme Court reached the same decision.

“In 1869, Iowa became the first state in the union to admit women to the practice of law.

“In the case of recognizing loving relationships between two adults, the Iowa Supreme Court is once again taking a leadership position on civil rights.”

Finally, as a law student, it was pretty awesome, albeit a little nerdy, to read an opinion of such historic relevance and 1) understand what’s going on from a procedural standpoint and 2) recall that I had a chance to meet the opinion’s author, Justice Mark Cady last fall at a dinner party at a professor’s house. Sweet.