Iowa Supreme Court justices who lost 2010 retention vote will receive Profile in Courage award

The three Iowa Supreme Court justices ousted from the bench in 2010 will receive the prestigious John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.

Former Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and former Associate Justices David Baker and Michael Streit will receive the annual honor May 7, at  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston, Mass.

The award hasn't been officially announced at this time and the recipients have declined to comment. There is no information about this year's recipients on the library website.

The annual award is given to a public official or officials at the federal, state or local level whose actions best demonstrate the qualities of politically courageous leadership in the spirit of "Profiles in Courage,"Kennedy's 1957 Pulitzer prize winning book, according to the library's website. The book recounts the stories of eight U.S. Senators who "risked their careers by taking principled stands for unpopular positions.

The Profile in Courage Award is administered by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.

The justices

lost their retention votes in 2010 for their part in a decision that led to legalizing same sex marriage in 2009.