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Deeply divided Supreme Court upholds new law on absentee ballot request forms
Two starkly different perspectives were articulated by members of the Iowa Supreme Court in majority and dissenting opinions on the constitutionality of a new state statute requiring county auditors to contact voters who omit personal identification information, including their voter ID numbers, from absentee ballot request …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear appeal on constitutionality of law on absentee ballot request forms
The Iowa Supreme Court has agreed to consider an appeal in a case that could decide the constitutionality of recent legislation passed by the Iowa General Assembly that prevents county election officials from using a statewide voter database to fill in voter identification numbers missing from absentee ballot request forms. …
Iowa Supreme Court reverses Polk County ruling on absentee ballot request forms
With an election just over two weeks away, the Iowa Supreme Court Thursday appeared to close the books on a flurry of litigation on the question of what information county election officials may or may not include on absentee ballot request forms.
In an unsigned opinion in Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, De …
Lawyers overwhelmingly back Iowa judges for retention in November election
Ninety-five Iowa judges — including four members of the Iowa Supreme Court and four members of the Iowa Court of Appeals — will be standing for retention in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Under Iowa’s judicial selection process, judges and justices are appointed by the governor from a list of applicants selected by non …
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May 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eighteen cases during May 2024. Opinions from May not covered elsewhere on this blog are summarized below.
In four opinions over 61 pages, Iowa Supreme Court wrestles with meaning of Fourth Amendment
Does a drug-sniffing dog violate a suspect’s constitutional protection against unreasonable government search and seizure by putting its paws up on the suspect’s car at the urging of its handler?
Five members of the Iowa Supreme Court said that subjecting the suspect’s car to a sniff by a drug-sniffing dog violated …
Iowa Constitution mandates face-to-face confrontation by witness, Iowa Supreme Court rules
A defendant’s right under the Iowa Constitution to confront witnesses at trial is not satisfied by one-way video testimony where the witness testifying on camera is not able to see the defendant, the Iowa Supreme Court held in a 4-3 ruling handed down June 28. In reaching that conclusion, the Court declined to follow a U.S. Supreme Court precedent and overruled one of its own prior rulings.
Iowa Court of Appeals April 2024 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. On April 11, 2024, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication, 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.