In State of Iowa ex rel. Dickey v. Besler, an opinion issued in February 2021, the Iowa Supreme Court was confronted with a lawsuit by a private citizen challenging the appointment of and Iowa District Court judge as invalid under state law. The Supreme Court held that a private citizen does possess standing to bri …
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Davenport mayor may remove Civil Rights Commissioner without cause, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Nicole Bribriesco-Ledger was appointed to serve a regular two-year term on the Davenport Civil Rights Commission beginning on December 1, 2017. On April 15, 2019, the Mayor of Davenport, Frank Klipsch, removed removed Bribriesco-Ledger and three other commissioners via letter. Klipsch appointed four new commissioners on Apr …
Iowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in seven cases Friday
Opinions in seven cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, June 18. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page and click on the “Cases Argued” tab to see which cases that were argued this term remain to be decided this term, which ends June 30.
Following are On Brief’s previously publi …
Iowa Supreme Court expected to release opinions in three cases Friday
Opinions in three cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, June 11. With those three cases decided, 17 cases argued in the 2020-21 term remain to be decided. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page and click on the “Cases Argued” tab to see which cases that were argued this term rema …
Iowa Supreme Court adopts a position on suspects’ right to counsel that earlier fell short of a majority
Five years ago, a deeply divided Iowa Supreme Court issued a decision on the question of whether a drunken driving suspect was entitled under State statute or the Iowa Constitution to speak privately to an attorney by phone before deciding whether to consent to a blood-alcohol test.
A plurality opinion for three of the s …
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Hispanic rights group lacks standing to challenge English-only voting materials, Iowa Supreme Court holds
An Iowa organization that advocates on behalf of Hispanic Iowans did not have legal standing to bring suit seeking to dissolve a 13-year-old injunction that barred the Secretary of State from disseminating voter registration materials in languages other than English, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a unanimous decision handed down May 9.
Iowa Supreme Court rejects bid to abolish exception to Fourth Amendment warrant requirement
A law enforcement officer making a roadside stop is legally allowed to search a vehicle without a warrant under an “automobile exception” to the protection against unreasonable searches and seizures granted by the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and separately under the Iowa Constitution. That exception, recog …
Iowa Supreme Court: Union Pacific Railroad not liable for worker’s suicide
The Union Pacific Railroad Co. is not liable under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) for the death of an employee who took his own life from emotional distress caused by his supervisor’ harassment, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a decision handed down April 25.
Kera Morgan, as administrator of her late husb …
Iowa Supreme Court removes judicial magistrate from bench for racially derogatory and ‘demeaning and sophomoric’ statements
The Iowa Supreme Court removed a part-time judicial magistrate from the bench in a unanimous decision issued April 18 for violations of the Iowa Code of Judicial Conduct in making a racially derogatory statement in an open court proceeding and by making a “demeaning and sophomoric” justification in a written order denying an arrest warrant.
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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.