District Associate Judge Ahlers of Fort Dodge appointed to Iowa Court of Appeals
Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Paul Ahlers of Fort Dodge to the Iowa Court of Appeals, replacing Judge Amanda Potterfield, who will retire in December.
Ahlers is a District Associate judge in Judicial Election District 2B. He previously practiced law in Spencer, Fort Dodge and Webster City, and with Travelers Insurance Comp …
read moreIowans remember Mark Cady, the man and the chief justice
In the days following the Nov. 15 death of Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady, many people have recalled personal encounters with the Fort Dodge man who served Iowa’s courts for 36 years.
Touching remembrances ranged from the sports editor of the Fort Dodge Messenger who was approached by Cady on the sidelines …
read moreOral Arguments Postponement
The Iowa Supreme Court’s oral arguments scheduled for Nov. 18 and 19 have been cancelled due to the death of Chief Justice Mark Cady. The Court’s announcement said the parties will be notified later of a new argument schedule. …
read moreIowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in nine appeals Nov. 18 and 19
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in nine cases Nov. 18 and 19. Eight more cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read briefs submitted …
read moreGrant Wood paintings must remain at Coe College, Iowa Supreme Court rules
What is a non-profit institution to do when a gift becomes a burden?
That is more or less the predicament Coe College found itself in when it learned that a collection of Grant Wood paintings given to the Cedar Rapids school decades earlier, and which had grown significantly in value, could not be sold without violating …
read moreChallenge to judicial nominating process to be argued before Iowa Court of Appeals Nov. 6
The Iowa Court of Appeals will hear arguments Nov 6 at 1:30 p.m. in an appeal of the Polk County District Court’s dismissal of a suit challenging the Legislature’s April 2019 amendment changing the nominating process for Iowa appellate court judges.
Cedar Rapids attorney Bob Rush and other Iowa lawyers, legislators …
read moreNine cases to be argued before Iowa Supreme Court Oct. 21 and 22
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in nine cases Oct. 21 and 22, and four cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the cases set for argument. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read th …
read moreNew chief judge elected, and other changes on the Iowa Court of Appeals
Legal status of Grant Wood paintings at stake in case to be argued before Iowa Supreme Court Oct. 11 in Iowa City
The Iowa Supreme Court, sitting at the University of Iowa College of Law Oct. 11, will hear arguments in an appeal that could determine the fate of seven Grant Wood paintings that have been displayed in Coe College’s library for 62 years.
The argument is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. at the Levitt Auditorium on the Universi …
read moreAppeals court sends wedding videographers’ case to trial on question of discrimination against same-sex couples
FEATURED POSTS
An evenly divided Supreme Court affirms “fetal heartbeat law” injunction by operation of law, trades barbs on matters of jurisprudence and appellate procedure
In a 3-3 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed a district court ruling refusing to dissolve a 2019 injunction against enforcement of a law known as the “fetal heartbeat law,” which would prohibit most abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy. Though the lack of a majority means that no written opinion carries th …
Iowa Supreme Court holds new qualified immunity provision does not apply retrospectively but applies new heightened pleading standard to claims against Polk County by former employee
On January 5, 2021, Jim Nahas was fired by the Polk County Board of Supervisors from his position as the Polk County Human Resources Director. In response, Nahas filed suit against the Board and four of its members, “claiming libel per se, wrongful termination in violation of public policy, extor
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Iowa Supreme Court rejects challenges to collection of fines generated by traffic cameras
City ordinances in Des Moines and Windsor Heights providing for collection of traffic fines generated by automated traffic enforcement cameras are not unconstitutional government takings, they do not violate due process of law, and they do not amount to illegal property taxes, the Iowa Suprem …
Analyzing DNA voluntarily abandoned in public is not a search under the United States or Iowa Constitution, according to the Iowa Supreme Court
In a 5-2 decision, the Iowa Supreme Court held that police officers’ collection and testing of DNA on a drinking straw abandoned by a suspect in a restaurant did not constitute a search under the Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution or article I, section 8 of the Iowa Constitution. Two dissenting Justices ex …
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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.