November 2025 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eleven cases in November 2025. On Brief’s analysis of In re Davenport Hotel Building Collapse, No. 24-0727, concerning whether statutory qualified immunity protections apply to the City of Davenport and city employees in the context of common law negligence claims brought by families of residents who died in a 2023 apartment building collapse, is posted separately on this blog. The remaining opinions from November are summarized below.
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Iowa AG plans to seek U.S. Supreme Court review of injunction blocking enforcement of state’s immigration law
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has informed the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit that the State of Iowa will be seeking review by the U.S. Supreme Court of the Eight Circuit’s October 2025 ruling affirming the district court’s preliminary injunction barring enforcement of Iowa’s statute that makes it a state crime for a noncitizen previously deported to reenter the state.
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Slim Supreme Court majority allows public defender to withdraw from representing indigent defendant
Trial courts have a duty under the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to assure that a criminal defendant who cannot afford to hire a lawyer is provided one at the State’s expense. To comply with that constitutional mandate, Iowa created the Office of State Public Defender (SPD) to employ attorneys to provide indigent defense or to contract with attorneys in private practice willing to take on those criminal cases.
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Iowa Supreme Court: TikTok must face the State’s consumer fraud suit in Iowa court
Online video provider TikTok does business with millions of American users in all 50 states, including Iowans who have downloaded the company’s app hundreds of thousands of times and who agree to its terms of service. Still, the company argues, it should not have to defend itself against a lawsuit filed in state court by the Iowa Attorney General claiming the company misrepresents the nature of its content available to Iowa children.
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Former Federal Home Loan Bank executive waited too long to file defamation suit, Iowa Supreme Court holds
A plaintiff suing former coworkers at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines for defamation waited too long to file suit in Polk County District Court because she failed to act on information she knew or should have known that could have formed the basis for a defamation claim before the statute of limitations expired, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a Jan. 9 decision.
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Iowa Supreme Court: Iowa courts lack jurisdiction to hear suit against Indiana trucking company
Does a foreign corporation consent to the jurisdiction of Iowa’s courts when it registers with the Secretary of State to do business in this state, appoints an agent in Iowa for service of process, and is served with notice of a lawsuit through its Iowa…
read moreOctober 2025 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in four cases in October 2025. At the following link, you can read On Brief’s analysis of State v. Manning, concerning whether an officer’s body camera capture of a video being played for the officer qualifies as admissible evidence, by Rox Laird. The remaining opinions from October are summarized below.
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Divided Iowa Supreme Court reaffirms 2024 decision barring minors’ closed-circuit testimony against accused
The Iowa Supreme Court in a decision issued Dec. 23 reaffirmed its 2024 ruling that allowing testimony by minors in criminal trials via one-way closed-circuit video violates defendants’ right to confront their accusers under the Iowa Constitution.
read moreDecember 2025 Iowa Court of Appeals published opinion roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In December, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions. Stephen Dierickx v. DreamDirt Farms and Ranch Real Estate LLC dba DreamDirt Auctions,…
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State Auditor may use in-house counsel in appeal on access to Davenport city records
The Iowa State Auditor is a constitutional officer elected by the voters of Iowa to conduct audits of State and local government agencies. The Iowa Attorney General is a constitutional officer elected by the voters of Iowa to provide legal representation to State officers, including the Auditor. What happens when these two independently elected constitutional officers disagree on a legal question?
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February 2026 Iowa Court of Appeals Published Opinion Roundup
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.
Defendant should not have had to ‘bet the house’ to avoid prison, Iowa Supreme Court holds
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.
Iowa Supreme Court affirms woman’s conviction for making terrorism threats
A Guthrie County woman made statements to her son that he interpreted as serious threats of violence against a Department of Health and Human Services child protective worker and a judge six days ahead of a hearing regarding the Department’s removal of her minor children from her care. His concerns were reported to law enforcement, and she was subsequently convicted on one count of threat of terrorism under Iowa Code Chapter 708A.
January 2026 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in ten cases in January 2026. On Brief has analyzed three opinions in separate posts. The remaining opinions from January are summarized below.
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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.