Gay Marriage in Iowa
I imagine you saw the news on the Iowa Supreme Court affirming that gay marriage is protected by their state's equal protection clause. Here is a story that discusses how interest groups targeted Iowa for the court action. Of course, the US Constitution has the 14th amendment's equal protection clause as it does Article IV's full faith and credit clause - but (as far as I know) the US Supreme Court has not incorporated its meaning to include gay marriage. At any rate, here is a simple regression that correctly predicts when past referenda (link has a list & explanation for all of the amendments and referenda) have & will pass. To overturn the Iowa decision with a constitutional amendment would mean the legislature would have to pass it twice and then it would have to go before the people no earlier than 2011. In any case, this is the perfect item for government class since it's emits strong feelings on both sides and covers so many gov't terms (amendment, incorporation, equal prot clause, full faith & credit, court system, briefs, litigants, laws, referendum and I could keep on going).