1. April 3 - The Iowa Supreme Court struck down a 1998 state law limiting marriage to a man and a woman, saying that homosexual individuals have a constitutional state right to marry, even if that right is “unappealing” (page 30 of the decision). Aside from striking down the statute approved by the state legislature, the court also found that sexual orientation was a protected class, although this has never been established by Iowa’s state legislature. Also, the court based its decision on an “intermediate” scrutiny analysis, although it had always required “strict” scrutiny on previous cases of this kind. The ruling makes Iowa the first heartland state to legalize same-sex marriage, and potentially increases Mike Huckabee’s 2012 appeal to disgruntled swing-state Iowan conservatives.
http://publicservice.evendon.net/VarnumEtAl_v_BrienPolkCoIAM.htm
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0409/Iowa_court_backs_samesex_marriage.html
2. April 2 – After meeting with the Group of Twenty, where world leaders pledged $1.1 trillion to the International Monetary Fund and other global institutions, President Obama noted that American prestige had diminished under Bush, but America’s participation in the summit would help the U.S. He did not specify how it would benefit the American economy.
http://cbs5.com/national/obama.G20.summit.2.973909.html
3. April 3 - The senior commander of U.S. troops in South Korea, four-star General Walter L. Sharp, has ordered an April 25 “stand down” for all U.S. forces in South Korea due to the increase of sexual assaults, aggravated assaults, and other disorderly conduct by military personnel. Last August a relaxed curfew was put into effect, and Sharp believes it has led to indiscipline; he called the four-hour muster to refocus troops on military standards.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/04/army_korea_crimes_040309w/
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