(Radio Iowa) – A judge has ruled the State of Iowa cannot require a panel that nominates people to fill vacancies on the Iowa Supreme Court and Court of Appeals have an equal number of men and women. In her ruling, U-S District Court Judge Stephanie Rose said the gender balance requirement for the State Judicial Nominating Commiussion violates the U-S Constitution’s equal protection clause.

A California based group filed the lawsuit challenging the rule on behalf of three Iowans. One of them is chief legal counsel for The Family Leader, a group that pushed for recent changes in Iowa’s judicial selection process. Governor Kim Reynolds is asking lawmakers to repeal Iowa’s gender balance requirement for ALL state boards and commissions.