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Iowa Supreme kicks off its 2020-21 term with oral arguments this week
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear its first round of oral arguments of the 2020-21 term Wednesday and Thursday, and the first in person oral arguments heard since March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The Sept. 16 and 17 oral arguments will feature justices, attorneys, court staff, and members of the public observing the …
Iowa Supreme Court 2019-20 term review: A year of historic challenges
The Iowa Supreme Court’s 2019-20 term was marked by change and disruption. Change came with the appointment of two new justices and the selection of a new chief justice. Disruption came with the coronavirus outbreak that suspended oral arguments and closed the Judicial Branch Building to the public.
The 102 decisions t …
Iowa Supreme Court sides with first-in-time tenant in conflict between pet allergy and emotional support animal
The Iowa Supreme Court held that a tenant with a dog allergy may maintain civil claims for damages against their landlord arising from the landlord’s waiver of their no-pets policy for a neighboring tenant’s emotional support animal. In doing so, the Court emphasized the narrowness of its holding, characterizing its analy …
Iowa Supreme Court asked to toss suit seeking to force Iowa to regulate agricultural pollution
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in an appeal challenging a lawsuit filed by citizens and environmental groups claiming State environmental agencies failed to reduce the presence of agricultural pollutants in the Raccoon River.
Iowa CCI and Food & Water Watch filed suit in Polk County District Court in Marc …
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Iowa Supreme Court sends question of State Auditor’s application of records law back to district court
The Iowa Supreme Court reversed in part a Polk County District Court ruling granting summary judgment in favor of State Auditor Rob Sand’s withholding release of communications related to the Auditor’s investigation of the governor’s office. The justices sent the case back to the trial court for further proceedings on …
Indecent exposure before two witnesses is two crimes, not one, Iowa Supreme Court holds
If two persons simultaneously witness another person masturbating in violation of Iowa’s indecent exposure statute, has that person committed two separate crimes or one crime under Iowa law?
According to the defendant who was convicted by a Story County jury on two counts of indecent exposure for exposing himself and m …
State worker failed to prove boss created a hostile work environment, Iowa Supreme Court holds
The Iowa Supreme Court remanded a $790,000 jury award for a state employee’s hostile-work environment claim to Polk County District Court for entry of a judgment notwithstanding the verdict, which erases the damage award. The Court held that the plaintiff failed to prove her hostile work environment claim based on what she herself experienced.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments April 11 on constitutionality of Iowa’s fetal cardiac activity abortion statute
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear its final oral argument of the 2023-24 term Thursday. The Court saved the term’s most-watched case for last: an appeal addressing whether Iowa’s law banning abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy may be enforced.
The oral argument in Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, et al …
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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.