Editorials: Banning cellphones

Prohibiting cellphones from Storm Lake classrooms is an idea whose time has come and deserves support. The school board has approved a policy put forward by principals that allows staff to confiscate a cellphone for the day if a student has it in class or the gym. The parents get a call on repeat offenses.

Educators report that students are distracted from their work by cellphones. Students themselves acknowledge it, and can accept the prohibition. They can use phones during class breaks in the hallways or during lunch.

Some raise a reasonable concern that cellphones are useful in case of an emergency. Teachers and staff will have their phones. The greater student safety concern is that cellphone obsession leads to anxiety, depression and even social isolation. The first order of school is to secure the full attention of the class, which is impossible in the presence of cellphones.

This could shift politics

Iowa’s new law that effectively bans abortions at six weeks (at the first detection of a heartbeat) took effect on Monday. Abortion had been outlawed after 20 weeks. Gov. Kim Reynolds says that the law protects our culture of life. It may not protect her Republican ranks in the legislature.

Until now, abortion was not really a live play in Iowa politics. The Republican Party paid no price for banning the procedure despite a majority of Iowans favoring the status quo of 20 weeks. An abortion ban heretofore was theoretical. Now that it is real, it could change the politics.

Both the US Supreme Court and the Iowa Supreme Court have ruled that there is no right to an abortion. About 60% of Iowans disagree. Combined with the invigorated presidential candidacy of Kamala Harris, this will help Democrats make progress in congressional and legislative races. We have already seen fundraising tick up for Democrats in the first and third congressional districts. It will make Democrats more competitive in metro and suburban elections this November.

Reynolds is not on the ballot until 2026. Her legislative majority is up for a vote. Although the GOP holds firm control of both chambers, Democrats can make significant strides in this cycle. Swing voters are not crazy about private school vouchers and book bans, either. We will see how far right Iowa can be pushed, and how adept the Democrats are at seizing an opportunity.

Judicial accountability

President Biden’s proposal on Monday to set term limits and enforceable ethics rules on Supreme Court justices should find support among a public that sees jurists on the take from political activists, even if Congress rejects him. Biden’s suggestion that justices serve 18-year terms rather than life appointment is entirely reasonable — especially in light of the debate over the president’s age, and the fact that the presidency is limited to two, four-year terms.

In Iowa, supreme court justices must retire at age 72. They also must stand for retention with the voters. This puts a check of the people onto the judicial system. Also, in Iowa you cannot buy a sandwich for a judge. Wealthy donors treat Justice Clarence Thomas to junkets while he hears cases that impact them.

Iowa’s judicial system is political in that the governor appoints and the judges must stand for retention. At least you know that if a judge is obviously corrupted, you can get rid of him or her in due time. That is not true of the US Supreme Court or of federal judges generally.

The graft going on with the US Supreme Court is so blatant it demands action. Congress is unlikely to deliver what President Biden asks. Biden’s common-sense proposal is likely to resonate with the voting public, with whom the Supreme Court’s credibility is at a record low. Making the high court more accountable is a winning issue.