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Iowa Supreme Court selects Chief Justice Susan Christensen for a second term
Chief Justice Susan Christensen has been selected by the members of the Iowa Supreme Court for a second term, the Judicial Branch announced Jan. 8.
At 10 a.m. Wednesday, Christensen will deliver the Condition of the Judiciary address to a joint session of the Iowa General Assembly in the Iowa House Chamber. Iowa Public T …
read moreIowa Supreme Court: Tort Claims Act governs excessive-force claims under the state Constitution
A plaintiff with a claim under the Iowa Constitution for damages against the State or its employee must follow the procedures prescribed by the Iowa Tort Claims Act, including the Act’s exclusion of punitive damages, the Iowa Supreme Court said in a ruling handed down Dec. 31.
The decision in read more
Justice Matthew McDermott traces his route to the Iowa Supreme Court in podcast interview
In a new “In the Balance” podcast, Justice Matthew McDermott, the newest member of the Iowa Supreme Court, talks about growing up in Carroll, Iowa, attending law school in Calif …
read moreIowa Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in 10 appeals this week — all by remote video conference
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in 10 cases Tuesday and Wednesday. Four other appeals will be submitted to the Court without oral argument.
Due to the recent rise in new Covid-19 cases, the justices will hear all December arguments by video conference remotely. Go to the Court’s read more
Facebook post was rude and insulting but not libelous, Iowa Court of Appeals rules
An obscenity-laced Facebook post calling an apartment building owner a slumlord may have been vulgar and insulting, but it was not libelous, the Iowa Court of Appeals said in a decision handed down Nov. 30.
Sloan, Iowa, apartment manager Richard Bauer created a stir with his battle against construction of a commercial do …
read moreIowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in five cases Tuesday and Wednesday
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in five cases Tuesday and Wednesday. Six more cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the cases that will be submitted to the Court this week. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipe …
read moreJustice Mansfield describes appellate process in new podcast
Deeply divided Supreme Court upholds new law on absentee ballot request forms
Two starkly different perspectives were articulated by members of the Iowa Supreme Court in majority and dissenting opinions on the constitutionality of a new state statute requiring county auditors to contact voters who omit personal identification information, including their voter ID numbers, from absentee ballot request …
read moreIowa Supreme Court to hear appeal on constitutionality of law on absentee ballot request forms
The Iowa Supreme Court has agreed to consider an appeal in a case that could decide the constitutionality of recent legislation passed by the Iowa General Assembly that prevents county election officials from using a statewide voter database to fill in voter identification numbers missing from absentee ballot request forms. …
read moreIowa Supreme Court reverses Polk County ruling on absentee ballot request forms
With an election just over two weeks away, the Iowa Supreme Court Thursday appeared to close the books on a flurry of litigation on the question of what information county election officials may or may not include on absentee ballot request forms.
In an unsigned opinion in Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, De …
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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 …
With sex-affirming surgery case declared moot by Iowa Supreme Court, resolution of constitutional questions awaits a future case
A case with a long procedural history in administrative and constitutional law that might have resolved the question of Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgery ended quietly May 12 when the Iowa Supreme Court declared the case moot. T …
Iowa Supreme Court holds Black defendant not harmed by juror strike, but three justices object to a race-related reference in juror questioning
A prosecutor did not discriminate against a Black criminal defendant by striking a Black member of the jury pool, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down April 21, but three members of the Court in a separate opinion expressed …
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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.