UPDATES & ANALYSIS

2.18

Amici will get oral-argument time in Iowa Supreme Court voting case

by Ryan Koopmans | February 18, 2016

By Ryan Koopmans

Last week, the Iowa Supreme Court told the seven amici in Griffin v. Pate (the case that will decide what types of crimes are “infamous” under the Iowa Constitution) that they could participate in oral argument if the parties were willing to give up some of their time.  (Background here.)

The Iowa Supreme Court has now issued an order announcing that the parties–Kelli Jo Griffin (represented by the ACLU) and Secretary of State Paul Pate (represented by the Iowa Attorney General’s office)–have indeed agreed to share a few of their minutes with some of the amici who support their cause.  Griffin is giving five of her thirty minutes to Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald (who is represented by Des Moines attorney Gary Dickey) and five  minutes to the NAACP. Secretary Pate is giving ten of his thirty minutes to the Iowa County Attorneys Association, which is represented by Muscatine County Attorney Alan Ostergren.  

This will be the first time in recent memory (and maybe ever*) that an amicus has participated in oral argument at the Iowa Supreme Court. 

*UPDATE: A reader informs me that Master Builders of Iowa participated in oral argument as an amicus in the 2002 case of Garling Construction v. City of Shellsburg.

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