Iowa Supreme Court: Godfrey’s discrimination claims fail under both the Iowa Constitution and the Civil Rights Act
Four years ago, three justices of the Iowa Supreme Court said the Iowa Constitution provided a cause of action for a state official bringing a claim against the governor and his staff alleging that they deprived him the constitutional right to due process based on his sexual orientation or partisan politics. Then-Chief Just …
read moreIowa Supreme Court: Lawsuit challenging governor’s judicial appointment presents a “political question,” not a question for the courts
In State of Iowa ex rel. Dickey v. Besler, an opinion issued in February 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court was confronted with a lawsuit by a private citizen challenging the appointment of and Iowa District Court judge as invalid under state law. The Supreme Court held that a private citizen does possess standing to bri …
read moreDavenport mayor may remove Civil Rights Commissioner without cause, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Nicole Bribriesco-Ledger was appointed to serve a regular two-year term on the Davenport Civil Rights Commission beginning on December 1, 2017. On April 15, 2019, the Mayor of Davenport, Frank Klipsch, removed removed Bribriesco-Ledger and three other commissioners via letter. Klipsch appointed four new commissioners on Apr …
read moreIowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in three cases Wednesday
Opinions in three cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday, June 30, the final day of the 2020-21 term. Following are On Brief’s previously published summaries of those three cases.
Godfrey v. State of Iowa, Terry Branstad, in his official capacity as Governor, and Bre …
read moreIowa Supreme Court: Cities may delay, not ban, criminal background checks on job applicants
Iowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in seven cases Friday
Opinions in seven cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, June 18. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page and click on the “Cases Argued” tab to see which cases that were argued this term remain to be decided this term, which ends June 30.
Following are On Brief’s previously publi …
read moreU.S. Supreme Court sends Dubuque police search case back to the Eighth Circuit
The U.S. Supreme Court remanded a case involving a warrantless search by Dubuque police to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals for further consideration in light of a May 17 Supreme Court decision that narrowed the scope of a precedent on which the appeals court relied.
The Eighth Circuit held in read more
Iowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in three cases Friday
Opinions in three cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, June 11. With those three cases decided, 17 cases argued in the 2020-21 term remain to be decided. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page and click on the “Cases Argued” tab to see which cases that were argued this term rema … read more
Iowa Supreme Court adopts a position on suspects’ right to counsel that earlier fell short of a majority
Five years ago, a deeply divided Iowa Supreme Court issued a decision on the question of whether a drunken driving suspect was entitled under State statute or the Iowa Constitution to speak privately to an attorney by phone before deciding whether to consent to a blood-alcohol test.
A plurality opinion for three of the s …
read moreIowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in four cases Friday — 20 cases remain to be decided this term
Opinions in four cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, June 4.
With those four cases decided, 20 cases that were argued in the 2020-21 term remain to be decided. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page and click on the “Cases Argued” tab to see which cases that were argued this ter …
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No right to self representation in civil commitment case, Iowa Supreme Court rules
A person challenging involuntary commitment for mental illness does not have a right to self representation in state court proceedings, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down Oc. 13.
An Iowa prison inmate, identified as V.H …
Question before Iowa Supreme Court: Is it enough to say a cow does not belong on a highway?
A driver whose vehicle collides with a cow wandering on a highway might logically assume the owner of the cow is, by definition, responsible for the driver’s injuries and damage to the vehicle. By that logic, the injured driver shouldn’t have to provide evidence of precisely how the owner failed to prevent the cow’s mea …
Iowa Court of Appeals denies new trial for Cristhian Bahena Rivera
A convicted murderer’s bid for a new trial was denied by the Iowa Court of Appeal in a decision handed down Oct. 11.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera was convicted by a Poweshiek County jury in 2021 for the murder of Mollie Tibbetts of Brooklyn, …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Oct. 10 and 11
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Oct. 10 and 11. Five additional cases will be submitted to the Court without oral arguments. Following are brief summaries of the October cases. [Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read the briefs f …
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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.