

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.
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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.
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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.
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Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upends Voting Rights Act precedents on who has the right to challenge laws based on race or color
In the nearly six decades since the Voting Rights Act was enacted by Congress, federal judges have assumed private parties could bring suits in federal court to enforce the law that prohibits state or federal election policies that deny the right to vote based on race or color.
That assumption was upended in a Nov. 20 de …
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Edited body camera video should not have been admitted in OWI trial, Iowa Supreme Court rules
October 2023 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in seven cases during October 2023. You can find in-depth summaries of two cases at the following links:
- In the Matter of V.H., 22-0952
…
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Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in seven cases Nov. 15 and 16
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in seven cases Nov. 15 and 16. Eight other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the November cases. [Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in …
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The State of Iowa, not employees, must pay dues owed to union, Iowa Supreme Court rules
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Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Sept. 11 and 12
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Sept. 11 and 12. Four other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of those cases. The Court will travel to Harlan Sept. 24 to hear arguments in one case. On Brief will preview that case closer to that date.
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 …
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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.