Iowa Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in one case at Harlan High School Sept. 24
The Iowa Supreme Court will travel to Harlan Tuesday to hear oral arguments in an appeal brought by the head of the State Alcoholic Beverages Division who argues the Division’s fired former comptroller is not protected by a whistleblower provision in state law.
Arguments in Halbur v. Larson will be heard by th …
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Iowa Supreme Court upholds removal of Libertarian Party candidates from November ballot
Instead of choosing candidates for the U.S. House in June party primaries, three Libertarian Party congressional candidates were nominated at the party’s state convention by delegates elected at county conventions.
Six eligible voters in those three congressional districts filed formal objections with the Secretary of …
read moreIowa Court of Appeals August 2024 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. On Aug. 27, the Court of Appeals selected four opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
read moreIowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Sept. 11 and 12
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Sept. 11 and 12. Four other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of those cases. The Court will travel to Harlan Sept. 24 to hear arguments in one case. On Brief will preview that case closer to that date.
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Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in Iowa City Sept 6 on Linn County Auditor’s election-security case
The Iowa Supreme Court’s first oral argument of the 2024-25 term is scheduled to be heard Sept. 6 at the University of Iowa College of Law. This case addresses the question of whether a county commissioner of elections claiming a violation of a federal election law by the Iowa Secretary of State is entitled to a contested …
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Iowa Supreme Court kicks off 2024-25 term Sept. 6
The 2024-25 term of the Iowa Supreme Court will get under way Sept. 6 with the Court’s first scheduled oral argument to be held at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City. Oral arguments in nine cases will be heard Sept. 11 and 12 in the Supreme Court courtroom in the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines. Fiv …
read moreA statistical review of the 2023-2024 Iowa Supreme Court term: The Court finds a new equilibrium
[This article by Matthew A. McGuire, Spencer S. Cady, and Chris E. Slack was originally published in the August 2024 issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine.]
The period between 2018 and 2022 was a period of great change for the Iowa Supreme Court, with five of the seven current justices joining the Court d …
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Firing for posting rainbow flag criticism did not violate Civil Rights Act, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals holds
When Daniel Snyder posted a comment on his employer’s intranet site expressing his opposition to the company’s use of a rainbow flag indicating support for LGBTQ+ equality, he believed he was sending the post to be seen only by the sender of an employee survey.
Instead, his post could be seen by all employees through …
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June 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in fifteen cases during June 2024. In addition to individual posts on six cases analyzed on this blog, the remaining opinions from June are summarized below.
read moreIowa Court of Appeals July 2024 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. On July 3, 2024, the Court of Appeals selected four opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
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October 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eight cases in October 2024. In addition to Rox Laird’s analysis of State of Iowa v. William Noble Chaiden Miller and Katherine Avenarius and Paul Avenarius v. State of Iowa summarized on this blog, the remaining opinions from October are summarized below.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Nov. 13-14
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Nov. 13 and Nov. 14. Five other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the November cases.
Iowa Supreme Court deadlocks on specifics required for liability waivers
When Dubuque police officer Katherine Avenarius accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending an Iowa Law Enforcement Academy firearms instructor school, she sued the academy claiming her injury was the result of an instructor’s advice on how to handle her firearm that contradicted how she had previously been trained. The State, which operates the academy, argued Avenarius signed a “clear and unequivocal” waiver and release of liability.
Iowa Supreme Court upholds minimum prison term for juvenile convicted of murder
The Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 35-year minimum prison sentence for a Fairfield juvenile who pleaded guilty to first degree murder for the death of his high school Spanish teacher. In its unanimous decision, the Court rejected the defendant’s argument that, under the Iowa Constitution, the State must present expert testimony showing a minimum sentence is necessary for a juvenile offender.
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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.