Iowa Supreme Court opens the courthouse doors to ‘wrongful birth’ lawsuits
Pamela and Jeremy Plowmans’ appeal to the Iowa Supreme Court presented hard questions about the rights of parents to be informed about abnormalities of an unborn child that may lead them to choose an abortion.
The Court, carefully picking through this mor …
read more2016-17 Iowa Supreme Court status report: 96 down; 21 to go
Tomorrow the Iowa Supreme Court is expected to hand down two decisions, which will bring to 96 the number of cases disposed of in the first nine months of the 2016-17 term.
After the release of tomorrow’s decisions, 21 submitted cases will remain to be …
read moreIowa Supreme Court draws a line in two juvenile sentencing cases
When the Iowa Supreme Court began applying the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent juvenile sentencing decisions to Iowa cases, criminal offenders convicted as juveniles saw an opportunity to raise increasingly novel arguments.
Although the Court has agreed with …
read moreIowa Supreme Court reverses itself in speedy indictment cases
A divided Iowa Supreme Court Thursday reversed its 37-year-old precedent on when an “arrest” occurs for purposes of the state’s speedy indictment rule.
In the case before the Court, read more
U.S. Supreme Court denies DeCosters’ prison sentence appeals
Two executives of an Iowa-based egg production company apparently will serve time in federal prison for their part in the 2010 salmonella outbreak that resulted in nearly 2,000 reported illnesses and the recall of a half-million eggs.
The U.S. Supreme Court …
read moreFederal appeals court upholds dismissal of lawsuit in fatal shooting by Iowa deputy sheriff
A federal appeals court Monday upheld the summary-judgment dismissal of an Iowa family’s civil lawsuit following the shooting death of Robert Michael Dooley by a Van Buren County sheriff’s deputy.
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Sidewalk evangelist loses again before federal Court of Appeals
A Christian evangelist who wants to take his religious message to the Iowa State Fair has again been rebuffed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
The federal appeals court based in St. Louis, which has jurisdiction in seven Midwest states i …
read moreEighth Circuit Court of Appeals rules twice in one week upholding Arkansas death penalty process
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit issued two rulings this week, clearing the way for Arkansas to carry out its plan to execute eight convicted murderers. That is assuming there are no more emergency appeals to state and federal courts.
Late T …
read moreFour Iowa Supreme Court opinions on State’s duty to protect nursing home residents from a convicted sex offender
The placement of a serial sex offender in a nursing home where he assaulted an elderly woman “cries out for a remedy,” Iowa Supreme Court Justice Thomas Waterman noted in an opinion concurring with the Court’s read more
Iowa Supreme Court: Patient safety reports are privileged under ‘morbidity and mortality’ statute
Patient safety reports produced by hospital employees are off limits to discovery in legal proceedings, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday, because confidentiality encourages hospital staff to be comfortable in candidly reporting safety concerns.
Dennis Wi …
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Iowa Supreme Court affirms transgender discrimination claims against Iowa Department of Corrections and affirms summary judgment ruling in favor of Wellmark
Nearly 40 years ago the Iowa Supreme Court held that “sex” does not mean the same as “gender” in an employment discrimination claim brought by a transgender plaintiff. It was the first, and last, time the Court addressed that issue until April 1 when the Court reached the same conclusion in
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in eight cases March 23 and 24. Seven other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the March 23-24 appeals. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read bri … The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in nine appeals Feb. 21, 22 and 23. Three other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument, and three attorney-discipline cases will be submitted. Following are brief summaries of the February cases to be argued. Go to On Brief’s “
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments Feb. 21 in a special evening session in Des Moines to accommodate members of the public who are unable to attend daytime sessions of the Court. Oral argument will be heard in an appeal by Wakonda Club against its insurer over whether the club’s business-interruption insur …Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases March 23 and 24
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in nine cases Feb. 21, 22 and 23
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in case related to Covid-19 shut-down in special Feb. 21 evening session
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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.