UPDATES & ANALYSIS

12.17

The Streak Ends: Justice Zager Dissents

by Ryan Koopmans | December 17, 2012

By Ryan Koopmans

On Friday, Justice Zager was the lone dissenter in Office of Citizens’ Aid/Ombudsman v. Edwards. To the casual observer, one dissenting opinion isn’t big news.  But it is to us: Since joining Iowa’s high court in early 2011, Justice Zager has been in the majority in every case, which is significant given the relatively high number of dissents the last two years.

The issue in the case was whether Administrative Law Judge Deb Edwards could assert the mental-process privilege in an investigation by the State Ombudsman.  The majority said no.  But Justice Zager disagreed, arguing that the Ombudsman could not pierce the privilege based on the skimpy record before the Court.

So Justice Zager’s winning streak ends at 156.  Not a bad run.  But then again, dissenting isn’t always losing.  Just ask Justice John Marshall Harlan.

SHARE

Tags: ,

FEATURED POSTS

Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in seven cases March 20, 21

The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in seven cases March 20 and 21. Six other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in these cases. Following are brief summaries of the cases to be argued

January 2024 Opinion Roundup

The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in six cases during January 2024. You can read Rox Laird’s analysis of In re Detention of Schuman and Chicoine v. Wellmark, Inc., in separate posts. The remaining opinions from January are summarized below.

APPELLATE CALENDAR

  • Iowa Supreme Court Oral Arguments
  • Iowa Supreme Court Opinion and/or Further Review Conference
  • Iowa Court of Appeals Oral Arguments
  • Holidays

EDITORIAL TEAM

ABOUT

On Brief: Iowa’s Appellate Blog is devoted to appellate litigation with a focus on the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Court of Appeals, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.

RELATED BLOGS

Related Links

ARCHIVES