Voters solidly back all 66 Iowa judges standing for retention
After choosing a president on Election Day, voters move “down ballot” to Congressional and state legislative candidates. Iowa voters not only must go down ballot but to the back of the ballot to make important choices – including judges standing for retention.
Battle over an acre of farmland may be headed to U.S. Supreme Court
How do you distinguish a wetland from an ordinary piece of farmland?
That question has been the subject of protracted federal agency and court proceedings for eight years. Now it could be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Eighth Circuit: Your Facebook post could get you kicked out of school
A conversation with the Court: Three Iowa Supreme Court justices sit down with Rox Laird to talk about life on and off the bench
When he needs a diversion from the job, Chief Justice Mark Cady loses himself in home improvement projects. Justice Daryl Hecht sings and plays an acoustic guitar. Justice Brent Appel plants trees on the family’s acreage.
The three justices, who are stand …
read moreIowa Supreme Court argument recap: Justices keep cards close to the vest in immigration case
It is hard to predict where the Iowa Supreme Court might go with an immigration case argued Thursday based on the questions directed at the opposing lawyers.
Martha Martinez, who came to the United States at the age of 11, is being tried in Muscatine County …
read moreIowa Supreme Court 2016-17 Preview: Does federal immigration policy preempt Iowa’s criminal laws?
Martha Martinez was brought to the United States in 1997, when she was 11 years old and has lived in Muscatine as an undocumented immigrant ever since. So when President Barack Obama established the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” by executive order in 2012, Martinez saw an opportu …
read moreIowa Supreme Court 2016-17 Preview: Appeal in 12-year-old murder case arrives at the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday
Arguments in a long-running legal battle over a Des Moines murder case that has been in the news will be heard by the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday. The outcome could determine whether an accused accomplice will go to prison for life.
Ankeny businessman Ve …
read moreCourt adds another case to juvenile sentencing lineup
A fourth case has been added to the Iowa Supreme Court’s October calendar on the question of how the Iowa Department of Corrections should calculate early discharge dates for offenders convicted as juveniles.
The court on Oct. 20 is scheduled to
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read moreMost Iowa lawyers back retention of all 66 judges on the Nov. 8 ballot
Voting begins officially today when Iowans can begin casting absentee ballots at county auditor offices.
That will be the first time many voters will see the complete General Election ballot – including the names of 66 Iowa appeals court and trial court j …
read moreIowa Supreme Court 2016-17 Preview: What a difference 15 eighty-fifths can make in your day
Iowa Supreme Court justices and courtroom observers may need calculators to follow an oral argument next month in a case that involves how quickly prison inmates earn the right to early discharge from their sentences.
Two Iowa women convicted as juveniles …
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Iowa Supreme Court: Lawsuit challenging governor’s judicial appointment presents a “political question,” not a question for the courts
In State of Iowa ex rel. Dickey v. Besler, an opinion issued in February 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court was confronted with a lawsuit by a private citizen challenging the appointment of and Iowa District Court judge as invalid under state law. The Supreme Court held that a private citizen does possess standing to bri …
Davenport mayor may remove Civil Rights Commissioner without cause, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Nicole Bribriesco-Ledger was appointed to serve a regular two-year term on the Davenport Civil Rights Commission beginning on December 1, 2017. On April 15, 2019, the Mayor of Davenport, Frank Klipsch, removed removed Bribriesco-Ledger and three other commissioners via letter. Klipsch appointed four new commissioners on Apr …
Iowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in three cases Wednesday
Opinions in three cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Wednesday, June 30, the final day of the 2020-21 term. Following are On Brief’s previously published summaries of those three cases.
Godfrey v. State of Iowa, Terry Branstad, in his official capacity as Governor, and Bre …
Iowa Supreme Court: Cities may delay, not ban, criminal background checks on job applicants
The Iowa Supreme Court on June 18 ruled that a Waterloo city ordinance that bars employers from denying jobs to applicants with criminal records is unenforceable because an Iowa statute prohibits cities from setting terms and conditions of e …
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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.