A case with a long procedural history in administrative and constitutional law that might have resolved the question of Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgery ended quietly May 12 when the Iowa Supreme Court declared the case moot. T …
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Iowa Supreme Court holds Black defendant not harmed by juror strike, but three justices object to a race-related reference in juror questioning

Iowa Supreme Court unanimously overturns 2017 Godfrey precedent establishing direct damages claims under Iowa Constitution
In an opinion filed May 5, 2023 in Burnett v. Smith and State of Iowa the Iowa Supreme Court overruled its 2017 opinion in Godfrey v. State, which recognized a private right of action for damages against State officials f …

An entity created by local governments is beyond the State Auditor’s reach, according to the Iowa Supreme Court
The Iowa State Auditor is empowered by the Iowa Code to audit agencies of the state government and certain governmental subdivisions of the State, including cities and counties. Meanwhile, local governments are authorized by the Iowa Code to form collaborative entities. Does that mean the State Auditor has authority to audi …

Fired Catholic school principal won’t get new trial, Iowa Supreme Court rules
A former principal of St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Des Moines will not get a new trial in her unsuccessful civil action against the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines, St. Joseph’s Church, and the pastor who supervised her, for fraud and defamation by all defendants, and breach of contract against the pastor, Father Jose …
FEATURED POSTS
Iowa Supreme Court holds it had authority to extend statute of limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Iowa Supreme Court issued an order temporarily extending the two-year statute of limitations in civil cases by 76 days.
Names of applicants seeking appointment to Scott County Board of Supervisors are public records, Iowa Supreme Court holds
Scott County officials violated the Iowa Open Records Act when they made an appointment to fill a mid-term vacancy on the Board of Supervisors without publicly revealing the identities of any of the applicants, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a 4-3 decision handed down Feb. 14.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in nine cases Feb. 17-19
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in nine cases Feb. 17, 18, and 19. Four other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Following are brief summaries of the February cases, not including an attorney disciplinary case.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in assisted-reproduction fraud case in a special evening session Feb. 11
Bert and Donna Millers’ desire to conceive children in the 1950s was realized with the assistance of Dr. John Randall, a physician and head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa Hospitals, and Donna gave birth to two children via artificial insemination.
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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.