

Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in four cases Jan. 23
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in four cases Jan. 23. Three other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in these cases.
read more
State universities must pay health care association assessments, Iowa Supreme Court holds
The Iowa Legislature in 1995 enacted health care insurance reforms aimed at improving individual access to health insurance. Among other things, the legislation created the Iowa Individual Health Benefit Reinsurance Association, a private nonprofit corporation.
Individual health insurance providers are required by the st …
read more
Iowa Supreme Court clarifies statutory “certificate of merit” requirements for medical malpractice suits
Iowa law requires that a party bringing a malpractice action against a health care provider provide defendants with an expert witness affidavit regarding the alleged breach of the applicable medical standard of care, referred to as a “certificate of merit”. In three decisions handed down Dec. 22, the Iowa Supreme Court …
read more
Indiana doctor can be sued over contract dispute in Iowa, Iowa Supreme Court holds
In 2021 Des Moines lawyer Marc Harding was considering bringing a medical malpractice action in Iowa and sent records related to the case to an Indiana surgeon to review. Harding ultimately decided against bringing the malpractice suit but instead sued the Indiana doctor over a consulting-fee dispute.
That dispute led to …
read moreNovember 2023 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in six cases during November 2023. You can read Rox Laird’s summary State v. Amisi at the link here. The remaining opinions from November are summarized below.
read more
DOT’s delay in traffic stop violated trucker’s 4th Amendment rights, Iowa Supreme Court holds
There is no time limit on law-enforcement traffic stops before the line is crossed into a Fourth Amendment violation, the Iowa Supreme Court said in a Dec. 8 decision, and courts must thoroughly examine the record to determine where to draw that line in each case.
read more
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in 8 cases Dec. 13 and 14
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Dec. 13 and 14. Three other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in these cases. Following are brief summaries of the December cases.
read moreIowa Court of Appeals December 2023 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication within the North Western Reporter. On December 1, 2023, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication, summarized below.
read more
Iowa Supreme Court: ‘Scurrilous’ notes taped to doors of residents displaying rainbow flags amounted to hate crime
When Robert Geddes entered onto the private property of five Boone residents without permission, he violated Iowa’s trespass statute. It became a more serious crime when he taped “Burn that gay flag” messages on the front doors of those residences, which were displaying rainbow flags. That elevated the charge to tresp …
read moreIowa Court of Appeals September 2023 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication within the North Western Reporter. In September 2023, the Court of Appeals selected six opinions for publication, summarized below.
read moreFEATURED POSTS
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in Iowa City Sept 6 on Linn County Auditor’s election-security case
The Iowa Supreme Court’s first oral argument of the 2024-25 term is scheduled to be heard Sept. 6 at the University of Iowa College of Law. This case addresses the question of whether a county commissioner of elections claiming a violation of a federal election law by the Iowa Secretary of State is entitled to a contested …
Iowa Supreme Court kicks off 2024-25 term Sept. 6
The 2024-25 term of the Iowa Supreme Court will get under way Sept. 6 with the Court’s first scheduled oral argument to be held at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City. Oral arguments in nine cases will be heard Sept. 11 and 12 in the Supreme Court courtroom in the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines. Fiv …
A statistical review of the 2023-2024 Iowa Supreme Court term: The Court finds a new equilibrium
[This article by Matthew A. McGuire, Spencer S. Cady, and Chris E. Slack was originally published in the August 2024 issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine.]
The period between 2018 and 2022 was a period of great change for the Iowa Supreme Court, with five of the seven current justices joining the Court d …
Firing for posting rainbow flag criticism did not violate Civil Rights Act, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals holds
When Daniel Snyder posted a comment on his employer’s intranet site expressing his opposition to the company’s use of a rainbow flag indicating support for LGBTQ+ equality, he believed he was sending the post to be seen only by the sender of an employee survey.
Instead, his post could be seen by all employees through …
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.