Judge Vogel elected Iowa Court of Appeals chief judge
The nine-member Iowa Court of Appeals elected Judge Gayle Nelson Vogel chief judge, replacing Chief Judge David Danilson, who retired Jan. 4.
Vogel, of Spirit Lake, has served on the Court of Appeals since 1996. She becomes the ninth chief judge since the I …
read moreFederal courts open for business at least one more week
Federal court operations will continue as normal for at least one more week, federal judicial branch officials said in a news release …
read moreFederal courts mostly unaffected by government shutdown – at least for now
Federal courts in Iowa will operate mostly as usual at least through next week, despite the partial government shutdown, according to statements released this week by federal court administrators.
The federal judiciary is on course to continue operating t …
read moreU.S. Senate confirms Iowa native for seat on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
President Donald Trump’s appointment of Sioux City native Jonathan Kobes to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit was confirmed by the U.S. Senate Dec. 11. The vote was split 50-50 with Vice President Mike Pence supplying the tie-breaking vote.
The Iowa Supreme Court is set to hear arguments in eight cases Dec. 11 and 12
The Iowa Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in eight cases Dec. 11 and 12. Four other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument.
Among the cases set for argument are two appeals brought by state and local government employee …
read moreU.S. Supreme Court denies Iowan’s appeal challenging Fourth Amendment exception
The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from an Iowa man who argued that his drunk-driving conviction was the product of an unconstitutional search and seizure.
The Court on Monday issued a list of cases considered at the justices’ Nov. 30 conferen …
read moreIowa Supreme Court: Truncated phone hearing on parental rights violated jailed mother’s constitutional rights
A parent who is incarcerated and unable to attend a termination of parental rights hearing in person has a due process right to participate by telephone in the entire hearing, not just to give testimony, the Iowa Supreme Court read more
Fleeing criminal suspect who rams cop cars must pay for the damage, Iowa Supreme Court rules
A criminal suspect who runs into police cars while fleeing law-enforcement officers can be ordered to pay restitution for damage to the government’s vehicles, the Iowa Supreme Court said in a unanimous read more
Iowan seeks to limit a Fourth Amendment exception in appeal to U.S. Supreme Court
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday will consider whether it will hear an appeal from an Iowa man who argues his drunk-driving conviction was the product of an unconstitutional search and seizure.
The appeal focuses on the reach of what’s known as a “commu …
read moreCourt of Appeals Chief Judge Danilson to retire in January
David Danilson, chief judge of the Iowa Court of Appeals, has announced his retirement effective Jan. 4, 2019. Danilson said he hopes to continue to serve as a senior judge on the appeals court after retiring, according to a read more
FEATURED POSTS
Iowa Supreme Court reaffirms its precedent on reciting rights to drunk driving suspects
How far must a police officer go to assure that a suspected drunk driver understands the legal consequences of agreeing or refusing to take a breath test when the suspect does not speak English?
That is the question posed in an appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court by Fethe Feshay Baraki, who claims he did not knowingly conse …
Divided Iowa Supreme Court affirms trial court on license plate obscured by trailer hitch ball
A Polk County District judge denied a defendant’s motion to suppress evidence from a traffic stop initiated by a police officer who could not make out one letter on the vehicle’s license plate because it was partially blocked by a trailer hitch ball.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in nine cases Nov. 16 and 17
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in nine cases Nov. 16 and 17. Three other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are short summaries of the November cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read the briefs in these case …
Iowa Supreme Court leaves rules in place for appealing guilty pleas
When a criminal defendant pleads guilty to a crime, it produces the same result as a criminal conviction at trial. So courts have created procedural requirements designed to ensure that any plea is legally and constitutionally valid before it is accepted.
One requirement is that there must be a factual basis for the crim …
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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.