The U.S. Supreme Court denied an appeal from five Iowa criminal defendants who argued for shortened prison terms based on a recent change in federal sentencing guidelines. The five defendants pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy charges that carried mandatory-minimum sentences of 20 years each. But…
Two executives of an Iowa-based egg production company apparently will serve time in federal prison for their part in the 2010 salmonella outbreak that resulted in nearly 2,000 reported illnesses and the recall of a half-million eggs. The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied appeals…
The U.S. Supreme Court Monday denied an appeal of an Iowa Supreme Court ruling that ordered a new trial for Justin Alexander Marshall who was convicted of first-degree murder for the 2009 shooting of an Iowa City landlord. The Iowa Supreme Court in June ruled…
By Ryan Koopmans As Rox wrote yesterday, the Iowa Supreme Court is (or at least was) expected to release a decision next week in State v. Pettijohn, a case about (among other things) whether Iowa’s implied-consent law–the law that punishes drivers who refuse to take a blood-alcohol test–is…
By Ryan Leemkuil This blog has previously covered the long-running dispute between former Iowa law school dean Carolyn Jones and Teresa Wagner, a former law school employee who claims she was passed over for a job due to political bias. Most recently, we covered the…
The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments in seven cases on September 9th and 10th. Five other cases were submitted to the Court without oral argument. The following are summaries of those cases.
The last four Iowa Supreme Court terms—from the 2022-2023 term to the recently concluded 2025-2026 term—have seen a stylistic shift in how the Court articulates its rulings.
The Iowa Supreme Court affirmed the dismissal of a personal injury claim arising from an accident involving a horse-drawn sickle mower in a unanimous decision filed on June 12, 2026. In Shafer v. Santana, the Court held that a farmer operating a horse drawn sickle mower was engaged in the “domesticated animal activity” of driving under Iowa’s Domesticated Animal Activities Act, despite the fact that the horses were briefly stopped when the injury occurred.
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication in the Northwestern Reporter. In July, the Court of Appeals selected two opinions for publication. Following are summaries of those 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.
