UPDATES & ANALYSIS
From our archive: An interview with Justice Daryl Hecht, who died April 3
Three years ago Rox Laird, a contributor to this blog, sat down with Iowa Supreme Justice Daryl Hecht for a rare on-the-record interview ahead of that year’s judicial retention election.
Over the course of a leisurely conversation lasting nearly two hours, Hecht talked about his experiences growing up on a family farm in a family with six children near Lytton in northwest Iowa, practicing law in Sioux City, and why he believed it was important that he continue to live and work in the Sioux City area while he served on the Court.
Not surprisingly for those who knew the justice, he was engaging, thoughtful, and especially eager to talk about his passion for vocal music.
With Hecht’s death April 3 following a lengthy illness with cancer, it seemed appropriate to share that interview again.
The Hecht interview – along with interviews with Chief Justice Mark Cady and Justice Brent Appel, who were also on the retention ballot that year – was published by the Iowa State Bar Association’s magazine, The Iowa Lawyer, underwritten by a grant from Nyemaster Goode.
http://www.judicialfacts.org/know-your-supreme-court-justices.html
FEATURED POSTS
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments April 11 on constitutionality of Iowa’s fetal cardiac activity abortion statute
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear its final oral argument of the 2023-24 term Thursday. The Court saved the term’s most-watched case for last: an appeal addressing whether Iowa’s law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy may be enforced.
The oral argument in Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, et al …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Apr. 10-11
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases April 10 and 11. Four other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the April arguments.
February 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eighteen cases during February 2024. You can read Rox Laird’s analysis of Singh v. McDermott, Selden v. DMACC, and Senator Roby Smith et al. v. Iowa District Court for Polk County. The remaining opinions from February are summarized here.
Iowa Court of Appeals divided on trial court’s vacatur of arbitration award
A two-judge majority of an Iowa Court of Appeals panel affirmed a Polk County District Court ruling vacating an arbitration award in a case involving financial regulation. The third member of the panel dissented, saying the majority and the trial court erred in substituting their conclusions …
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.