Criminal defendants have argued in appeals to the Iowa Supreme Court that recent legislation enacted by the Iowa General Assembly limiting their right of appeal violates their constitutional rights and crosses the Iowa Constitution’s boundary between legislative and judicial branches. The Court in two recent…
Opinions in four cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, May 7. Following are On Brief’s previously published summaries of the cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read briefs filed with the Court in these…
Opinions in six cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, April 30. Following are On Brief’s previously published summaries of the cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read briefs filed with the Court in these…
Opinions in four cases are expected to be released by the Iowa Supreme Court Friday, April 23. Following are On Brief’s previously published summaries of the cases. Go to On Brief’s Cases in the Pipeline page to read briefs filed with the Court in these…
Bradley Brinkman wrote a Facebook post defending a friend whose plan to build a commercial dog kennel in Sloan, Iowa, came under attack from Richard Bauer, the manager of an apartment building next door. In his post addressed to Bauer, Brinkman wrote: “It is because…
After more than a decade of service to On Brief, we are announcing that Rox Laird is stepping away from his role as a contributor to the blog. Throughout his tenure, Rox has authored nearly 500 posts covering the Iowa Supreme Court, the Iowa Court…
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In May, the Court of Appeals selected two opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those opinions.
The developer of a wind energy project planned in Worth County did not have a “vested right” to continue with the project after the Worth County Board of Supervisors enacted an ordinance the developer claimed doomed the project, a divided Iowa Supreme Court held in an April 24 decision.
The Iowa Supreme Court issued opinions in eleven cases in February 2026. At the links immediately below, you can read On Brief’s analysis of the following opinions:
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.
