The Iowa Supreme Court has agreed to consider an appeal in a case that could decide the constitutionality of recent legislation passed by the Iowa General Assembly that prevents county election officials from using a statewide voter database to fill in voter identification numbers missing from absentee ballot request forms. …
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Iowa Supreme Court reverses Polk County ruling on absentee ballot request forms
With an election just over two weeks away, the Iowa Supreme Court Thursday appeared to close the books on a flurry of litigation on the question of what information county election officials may or may not include on absentee ballot request forms.
In an unsigned opinion in Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, De …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in 11 cases Wednesday and Thursday
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in 11 appeals Oct. 14 and 15. In addition, three cases will be submitted to the Court this week without oral argument.
Following are brief summaries of the October cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read brief …
Iowa Chief Justice Christensen explains her rural roots in new podcast interview
Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen talks about her roots in rural Iowa and her journey from working up from a legal secretary to the pinnacle of Iowa’s court system in an interview on the “In the Balance” read more
Lawyers overwhelmingly back Iowa judges for retention in November election
Ninety-five Iowa judges — including four members of the Iowa Supreme Court and four members of the Iowa Court of Appeals — will be standing for retention in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Under Iowa’s judicial selection process, judges and justices are appointed by the governor from a list of applicants selected by non …
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911 dispatcher with PTSD is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, Iowa Supreme Court holds
An emergency dispatcher traumatized by a distraught mother screaming for two minutes “Help me, my baby is dead” is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits even though the job comes with distressing calls, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled June 3.
Corporate Shareholders Suing Directors Face Heightened Pleading Requirement, Iowa Supreme Court Holds
In 2019, the publicly traded stock of EMC Insurance Group, Inc. (“EMCI”) was acquired in a “going private transaction.” Certain shareholders sued members of EMCI’s board of directors for breaching fiduciary duties owed to public shareholders. Those individual directors moved to dismiss the plaintiffs’ claims, an …
Iowa Supreme Court will mark Justice Appel’s retirement at June 2 ceremony
Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appel will retire from the Court effective June 13 after serving on the Court for 16 years. Appel, who turns 72 this year, reached the ma …
Iowa Supreme Court applies ‘plain feel’ exception to uphold Fourth Amendment warrantless search
Appellate courts have over the past half century given police officers more latitude to make warrantless searches during traffic stops using two of the five senses – sight and touch – to assess whether a suspicious item discovered in a pat-down search is evidence of a crime.
The sense of touch was at issue in a decis …
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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.