An Iowa Senate committee has approved a bill to remove the requirement that state and local government boards and commissions have an equal number of men and women. A federal judge recently ruled that Iowa’s gender balance requirement for the State Judicial Nominating Commission violates the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection clause. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, said a woman who’s a former constituents wanted to serve on the commission, but couldn’t because a man had to be appointed to meet the gender balance requirement.