Iowa Supreme Court: Changes within trailer park did not affect its zoning status
Does the “detritus of life” change a Des Moines trailer park’s legal nonconforming zoning status it has enjoyed for 63 years?
read more
“Supermajority” Bill Could Change the Outcome of State Constitutional Questions before the Iowa Supreme Court
A bill passed by the Iowa Senate (S.F. 2282) would block the Iowa Supreme Court from declaring a State statute unconstitutional if the decision is not supported by at least five justices of the seven-member Court.
Although the bill failed to make it out o …
read moreIowa Supreme Court preview: Seven cases set for argument March 6 and 7
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in seven cases March 6 and 7. Following are summaries of five of those cases. Three more cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument.
Bandstra v. Covenant Reformed Church …
read moreIowa Supreme Court preview: Justices will hear arguments this week on abortion, immunity for public officials, and municipal zoning
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in seven cases this week. Following are summaries of three cases set for argument Tuesday and Wednesday. [See our earlier read more
Iowa Supreme Court preview: Is Iowa’s law protecting hog confinements from lawsuits unconstitutional?
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments Feb. 12 in a case that could dramatically affect all legal disputes between rural residents and livestock confinement operators. The session is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines to accommodate members of the publ …
read moreIndecent-exposure conviction required physical presence, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals now at full strength
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit is up to full strength with the Senate confirmation on Jan. 30 of David Stras of Minnesota.
Stras was a justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court prior to his appointment by President Donald Trump in May. He joi …
read moreIowa Supreme Court reduces frivolous litigation penalty assessed against a party.
A trial court’s sanction for frivolous litigation in a protracted legal battle over a Johnson County land development was reduced by the Iowa Supreme Court. The sanction was levied against …
read moreIowa Supreme Court makes a call for the State in ‘Field of Dreams’ film case
The Iowa Economic Development Authority had the authority to claw back tax credits approved for a documentary film about Iowa’s mystical Field of Dreams baseball story, the Iowa Supreme Court said in a read more
Iowa Supreme Court Preview: Justices will hear arguments in 10 cases this week
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in 10 cases Jan. 17 and 18 that raise an array of issues ranging from whether a father must pay his daughter’s sorority dues to a question of a county’s liability for a traffic accident. Two other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral a …
read moreFEATURED POSTS
Iowa Supreme Court’s splintered abortion ruling: Four opinions covering 182 pages
The Iowa Supreme Court’s June 17 ruling overturning its 2018 decision that recognized a fundamental right to abortion under the Iowa Constitution did more than overturn that four-year-old precedent.
The Court, in four separate op …
Was a real estate agent liable when a prospective buyer fell on an icy driveway? The Iowa Supreme Court says no
The Iowa Supreme Court held that a seller’s real estate agent was not liable for a potential buyer’s injuries suffered when visiting a home listed for sale in a decision handed down June 10.
Amanda DeSousa was getting out of a vehicle …
Iowa Supreme Court declines to extend juvenile sentencing protections to young adults in two cases
James Dorsey broke into a home before shooting and killing an unarmed woman just five days after he turned eighteen in 1984. Dorsey was convicted of first-degree murder and he received the mandatory sentence for first-degree murder – life in prison without the possibility of parole. The case before the Iowa Supreme Court …
911 dispatcher with PTSD is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits, Iowa Supreme Court holds
An emergency dispatcher traumatized by a distraught mother screaming for two minutes “Help me, my baby is dead” is eligible for workers’ compensation benefits even though the job comes with distressing calls, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled June 3.
APPELLATE CALENDAR
EDITORIAL TEAM
ABOUT
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.