The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in four cases on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 12 and 13, in appeals that ask the Court to settle a dispute over a baby born of a surrogate mother, an asbestos liability suit brought by the estate of a lung-cancer victim, and a question of whether the St …
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Iowa Supreme Court: Trial judge erred on removing a biased juror, but the verdict stands
Taxing one stepchild but not another does not violate equal protection, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Iowa tax law does not run afoul of the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution in treating certain stepchildren differently than others for inheritance-tax purposes, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in read more
Oral argument recap: Justices hear the case for and against prosecuting a child as an adult
Justices of the Iowa Supreme Court grappled in an oral argument Tuesday with the question of prosecuting a 13-year-old as an adult under Iowa’s youthful offender statute.
Noah Crooks, who was convicted of killing his mother when he was 13, was waived by a …
Iowa Supreme Court urged to ban criminal prosecution of 13-year-olds in adult court
The Iowa Supreme Court is being asked to take another step toward protecting juvenile offenders from prison sentences designed for adults in an appeal set for argument Tuesday.
In read more
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Iowa Supreme Court rejects challenges to collection of fines generated by traffic cameras
City ordinances in Des Moines and Windsor Heights providing for collection of traffic fines generated by automated traffic enforcement cameras are not unconstitutional government takings, they do not violate due process of law, and they do not amount to illegal property taxes, the Iowa Suprem …
Analyzing DNA voluntarily abandoned in public is not a search under the United States or Iowa Constitution, according to the Iowa Supreme Court
In a 5-2 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court held that police officers’ collection and testing of DNA on a drinking straw abandoned by a suspect in a restaurant did not constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution or article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. Two dissenting Justices ex …
Right to a jury does not apply to Consumer Fraud Act claims brought by the Attorney General, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Because Iowa’s Consumer Fraud Act is enforced through civil proceedings aimed at making victims whole and preventing future fraudulent actions rather than punishment, defendants accused of violating the Act are not entitled to a trial by jury, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down May 26.
The State brou …
Municipal water utility not protected from strict liability for main breaks, Iowa Supreme Court rules
A municipal water utility is not shielded by the Iowa Tort Claims Act from strict liability for damage to a Council Bluffs couples’ home caused by water main breaks, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down May 19.
Jim and …
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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.