When are police reports introduced in a civil trial public records? It depends, the Iowa Supreme Court says
The Iowa Supreme Court has clarified two previous rulings that reached seemingly contradictory positions on whether police investigative reports must be made public under the Iowa Open Records Act.
The clarification came in a ruling handed down April 5 in …
read moreThe final round of oral arguments for the Iowa Supreme Court’s 2018-19 term set for April 9
The Iowa Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in five cases on April 9, and nine other cases will be submitted to the court without oral argument. Three cases will be argued beginning at 9 a.m., and two will be argued beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Go to t …
read moreFrom our archive: An interview with Justice Daryl Hecht, who died April 3
Three years ago Rox Laird, a contributor to this blog, sat down with Iowa Supreme Justice Daryl Hecht for a rare on-the-record interview ahead o …
read moreIowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could affect future wind power regulation
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Forest City April 2 in a case that raises for the first time a question about how Iowa law regulating approval of electric generating facilities applies to wind energy projects.
The argument, which is open …
read moreJudges must know offenders’ ability to pay before ordering restitution, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Sentencing courts must know how much a convicted offender is reasonably able to pay before ordering payment of restitution to the State, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in three separate cases March 22.
In all three cases, the sentencing courts ordered offen …
read moreA second urine test needed for OWI conviction, Iowa Supreme Court rules
An initial urine test by itself, without follow-up confirmation, was insufficient evidence for convicting a driver of operating while under the influence of a controlled substance, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled March 8 (read more
Iowa Supreme Court says insurance liability must be shared in a tragic shooting death
A couple of teenage boys are out for some dirt-bike and ATV riding at rural retreat when one of the boys is fatally injured in a tragic shooting accident. The farmhouse on the retreat where the shooting occurred is insured by a homeowners’ policy and by a separate commercial general liability …
read moreThe Iowa Supreme Court grapples with alleged jury confusion with instructions in a comparative fault case, but declines to order a new trial
Jurors in a Pottawattamie County medical malpractice trial submitted a question to the court during jury deliberations about the meaning of instructions given to them by the trial judge for apportioning fault to a settled party, but the judge did not commit a prejudicial error by failing to cla …
read moreIowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases March 5 and 6
The Iowa Supreme Court entered the home stretch of its 2018-19 term March 1, with four months remaining before the administrative term begins in July.
The Court has disposed of 38 of the 90 cases submitted thus far this term. The Court has scheduled five …
read moreChristopher McDonald elevated to the Iowa Supreme Court by Governor Reynolds
The Iowa Supreme Court will have a full complement of seven justices when Christopher McDonald is sworn in. McDonald, 44, was appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds this week, replacing Justice Daryl Hecht, who retired last year as he battles melanoma.
Reynolds†…
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Iowa Supreme Court Does Not Reverse District Court Determination That The Supreme Court’s COVID-19 Orders Tolling Statutes Of Limitations Violated The Iowa Constitution
The Iowa Supreme Court is responsible for supervising and regulating trial and appellate courts across the state. As the COVID-19 pandemic descended upon the state in early 2020, the Supreme Court was forced to issue emergency orders to protect the public and court staff while keeping the state’s court system functioning. …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in one case in Denison Oct. 25
The Iowa Supreme Court will go on the road to Denison Oct. 25 to hear oral arguments in an appeal by the State in a case involving a defendant who successfully argued in District Court that the State’s breath test evidence in a drunk-driving prosecution is inadmissible because he does not speak English and did not underst …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight appeals Oct. 12 and 13
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Oct. 12 and 13. Five other cases will be submitted to the court without oral argument. Following are short summaries of the October cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read briefs filed with the Cou …
Three Des Moines police officers denied immunity by U.S. Court of Appeals in traffic stop case
Three Des Moines police officers who violated the constitutional rights of a Des Moines man by making a traffic stop without reasonable suspicion of a crime are not entitled to qualified immunity from personal liability, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
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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.