by Rox Laird | September 4, 2018
The motto “In God We Trust” has been printed on U.S. currency since the Civil War, but the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit confronted the question of whether it violates the Constitution for the first time in an Aug. 28 ruling. The answer? The motto does...
by Rox Laird | July 25, 2018
A Sioux City native has been nominated to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit to replace Judge Roger Wollman, who has announced he will take senior status. Jonathan Kobes, now serving as general counsel to U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds of South...
by Rox Laird | July 18, 2018
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis handed down a split decision Tuesday on a City of Des Moines utility fee, holding that the fee is not pre-empted by federal law while remanding to the trial court the question of its legality under Iowa...
by Rox Laird | June 5, 2018
The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from five Iowa criminal defendants who argued for shortened prison terms based on a recent change in federal sentencing guidelines. The five defendants pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges that carried mandatory-minimum...
by Rox Laird | May 2, 2018
Iowa lawyers and judges attending the Eighth Circuit Judicial Conference in Des Moines Aug. 15-17 will have an opportunity to hear from three major newsmakers in the legal world. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was assigned by Chief Justice John Roberts...
