A sentence of life in prison for a resident of the Meskwaki Settlement in Iowa illustrates how Native Americans are treated more harshly under federal law than state or tribal law, a federal appeals-court judge said in a dissenting opinion last week. “I write to…
You can do serious time in federal prison for selling black rhinoceros horns, even if the horns were originally purchased before such sales were made illegal. That is the conclusion of the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, which has jurisdiction over Iowa. James Hess,…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled Wednesday that corporate executives can be sentenced to prison when their companies violate federal food-safety laws. A three-judge panel of the St. Louis-based Court of Appeals, by a 2-1 vote, rejected the appeal by Austin…
By Ryan Leemkuil This blog has previously covered the long-running dispute between former Iowa law school dean Carolyn Jones and Teresa Wagner, a former law school employee who claims she was passed over for a job due to political bias. Most recently, we covered the…
Iowa State University students advocating marijuana law reform won a First Amendment victory against the university in federal court in Des Moines in January. Now ISU wants to put that victory on hold while the university’s appeal is considered by the Eighth Circuit U.S. Court…
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In December, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions. Stephen Dierickx v. DreamDirt Farms and Ranch Real Estate LLC dba DreamDirt Auctions,…
The Iowa State Auditor is a constitutional officer elected by the voters of Iowa to conduct audits of State and local government agencies. The Iowa Attorney General is a constitutional officer elected by the voters of Iowa to provide legal representation to State officers, including the Auditor. What happens when these two independently elected constitutional officers disagree on a legal question?
Iowa’s statute that provides qualified immunity for municipal employees does not apply to common law negligence claims against the City of Davenport and city employees by families of residents who died in the 2023 collapse of an apartment building and other residents who were injured…
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in 10 cases Nov. 12 and 13. One other case will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of those cases.
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.
