Senator Harkin Recommends Two for Eighth Circuit Vacancy
By Ryan Koopmans
Yesterday, Iowa Senator Tom Harkin forwarded two names to President Obama to fill a vacancy being left by Eighth Circuit Judge Michael Melloy, who will take senior status on January 30. Making the cut: Jane Kelly, a federal pu …
Until Pay-On-Death Do Us Part
By Ryan Koopmans
Today the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that a surviving husband who elects against his wife’s will is not entitled to any portion of her pay-on-death (POD) assets that pass outside of probate. The case, Estate of Myers, …
Chief Justice Appoints Judge Colloton as Chair of Appellate Rules Committee
Eighth Circuit: School May Punish Students For Out-Of-School Internet Speech
[The following summary was written by Nyemaster Goode attorney Colin Smith]
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals recently overturned a lower district court’s ruling that stated that a Missouri High School’s suspension and re-assignment of two students who created a derogatory blo …
En Banc Eighth Circuit Rules Against Funeral Protesters in Free Speech Case
[The following summary was written by Nyemaster Goode attorney Colin Smith]
Recently the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, in its en banc rehearing of Phelps-Roper v. City of Manchester
FEATURED POSTS
Biological parents in 1965 adoption still secret, says Iowa Supreme Court
By Ryan Koopmans
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled today that a Linn County court w …
Iowa Supreme Court splits on when hearsay is admissible in domestic abuse cases
When should “hearsay testimony” of a medical professional identifying an alleged perpetrator be admitted in a domestic-assault prosecution? Only when the testimony is relevant to a medical procedure, a divided Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
The decisi …
Update: Chief Justice Roberts denies states’ request to stay the EPA’s mercury rule
Chief Justice John Roberts issued a brief order today denying a petition by 20 states, including Iowa, seeking an order blocking the Environmental Protection Agency from …
Iowa, the EPA, and the Supreme Court
Iowa and 19 other states have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to order the Environmental Protection Agency to halt enforcement of a rule limiting mercury emissi …
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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.