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.
On April 3, 2009, the Iowa Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, ruled that the state’s law forbidding same-sex marriage was unconstitutional. This made Iowa the third state in the U.S. to permit same-sex marriage.
