The Iowa Supreme Court will kick off its 2025-26 term with oral arguments in nine cases scheduled for Sept. 9 and 10. Four cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of these cases.
An Iowa woman seeking to overturn her drug possession conviction has filed a petition for certiorari with the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing that a police search of her vehicle based on a drug-detection dog’s sniff through an open window violated her Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In July, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
The Iowa Supreme Court rejected two bids to strike down as unconstitutional Iowa statutes that remove criminal offenders’ right to possess firearms. The Court was split in both cases, with the justices lining up differently in each case.
Eugene Sikora sued the State of Iowa and the Iowa Corrections Director seeking money damages claiming he was wrongly imprisoned for about five months longer than the law allowed due to a miscalculation by the Department of Corrections. The Iowa Supreme Court, in a 4-3…
The State Auditor has broad access under Iowa law to state and local records in conducting audits, including otherwise confidential information, but the Auditor’s access does not extend to records shielded by attorney-client privilege, the Iowa Supreme Court held in an April 17 decision.
The Iowa Supreme Court reversed a $20.5 million Polk County jury verdict against homebuilder D.R. Horton for negligence arising from a subcontractor’s employee being briefly buried under several feet of dirt while working in a trench.
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In February, the Court of Appeals selected six opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
Christopher Hidlebaugh accepted a financial challenge in a plea deal with the State: purchase a home to avoid going to prison on a charge of failing to register as a sex offender. The deal fell apart, however, when Hidlebaugh was unable to qualify for financing to purchase a home, and he was sentenced to 15 years in prison by the Dallas County District Court.
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.
