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Battle over an acre of farmland may be headed to U.S. Supreme Court

How do you distinguish a wetland from an ordinary piece of farmland?

That question has been the subject of protracted federal agency and court proceedings for eight years. Now it could be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Iowa Supreme Court argument recap: Justices keep cards close to the vest in immigration case

by Rox Laird | 10.20

It is hard to predict where the Iowa Supreme Court might go with an immigration case argued Thursday based on the questions directed at the opposing lawyers.

Martha Martinez, who came to the United States at the age of 11, is being tried in Muscatine County …

Iowa Supreme Court 2016-17 Preview: Does federal immigration policy preempt Iowa’s criminal laws?

by Rox Laird | 10.19

Martha Martinez was brought to the United States in 1997, when she was 11 years old and has lived in Muscatine as an undocumented immigrant ever since. So when President Barack Obama established the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” by executive order in 2012, Martinez saw an opportu …

Iowa Supreme Court 2016-17 Preview: Appeal in 12-year-old murder case arrives at the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday

by Rox Laird | 10.18

Arguments in a long-running legal battle over a Des Moines murder case that has been in the news will be heard by the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday. The outcome could determine whether an accused accomplice will go to prison for life.

Ankeny businessman Ve …

Court adds another case to juvenile sentencing lineup

by Rox Laird | 10.06

A fourth case has been added to the Iowa Supreme Court’s October calendar on the question of how the Iowa Department of Corrections should calculate early discharge dates for offenders convicted as juveniles.

The court on Oct. 20 is scheduled to

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Appeal for injunction dropped in constitutional challenge to gender-balance rule for State Judicial Nominating Commission

The plaintiffs in a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit regarding the constitutionality of Iowa’s gender balance requirement for the State Judicial Nominating Commission have agreed to dismiss their appeal of an Iowa district court’s denial of their request for a temporary injunction.

The cas …

Plaintiff seeking confidential government documents in public-records suit must first show they may be released to the public, Iowa Supreme Court holds

A plaintiff may not have access to confidential government records through discovery in a suit brought under the Iowa Public Records Act unless the trial court first rules the records are subject to public disclosure, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down Dec. 16.

Michelle Vaccaro sued Polk County and Pol …

Iowa Supreme Court: All voters count where referendum petitions are concerned

On Election Day, voters may skip some races on the ballot while voting in others. “Undervoting” ordinarily is not an issue, but it presents one for purposes of Iowa’s statute that calculates the number of signatures needed on a petition calling for a public referendum based on the “number of voters.”

The meanin …

Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in seven cases Dec. 14 and 15

The Iowa Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in seven cases Dec. 14 and 15. Five other cases will be submitted to the court this week without oral argument. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs in these cases.

Following are summa …

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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.