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Iowa Supreme Court adds cases to be heard in 2020-21 term
The Iowa Supreme Court is in the final month of its 2019-20 term before breaking for two months to focus on court administration and rules. Meanwhile, the Court has been adding cases to its 2020-21 term that begins in September with a full complement of…
Iowa Supreme Court denies further review in challenges to changes in judicial nominating process
Legal challenges to the Iowa Legislature’s 2019 changes in the nominating process for Iowa appellate judges have reached the end of the road. The Iowa Supreme Court on May 15 denied applications for further review of two Iowa Court of Appeals rulings dismissing the challenges…
Iowa Supreme Court grants further review in four Court of Appeals decisions
The Iowa Supreme Court has granted further review of four rulings of the Iowa Court of Appeals. Following are brief summaries of those cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read the parties’ briefs and appellants’ applications for further review. Denver…
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in three criminal cases on Aug. 8
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in three criminal appeals on Aug. 8. Following are brief summaries of the three cases. For more information, go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read the briefs and other documents related to these…
FEATURED POSTS
January 2026 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in ten cases in January 2026. On Brief has analyzed three opinions in separate posts. The remaining opinions from January are summarized below.
December 2025 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eight cases in December 2025.
Enhanced penalty counts for sales of alcohol to two minors five minutes apart, Iowa Supreme Court holds
The penalty for violating Iowa’s law that bars the sale of alcohol to a person under the age of 21 is $500. The penalty for a second violation is $1,500 and a 30-day license suspension if it occurs within two years of the first. That is the law even if the second violation occurs within minutes of the first, a divided Iowa Supreme Court held in a Feb. 20 decision.
November 2025 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eleven cases in November 2025. On Brief’s analysis of In re Davenport Hotel Building Collapse, No. 24-0727, concerning whether statutory qualified immunity protections apply to the City of Davenport and city employees in the context of common law negligence claims brought by families of residents who died in a 2023 apartment building collapse, is posted separately on this blog. The remaining opinions from November are summarized below.
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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.