UPDATES & ANALYSIS

3.19

by Rox Laird | March 19, 2020

The Iowa Supreme Court has a little over three months left in its current term, but the last oral arguments have already been heard, as a result of schedule changes forced by the coronavirus outbreak.

In recent days, Chief Justice Susan Christensen has issued a string of orders (accessible on the Judicial Branch website) regarding jury and bench trials, hearings, and hours at offices of county clerks of court.

The Judicial Branch Building is closed to the public, and members of the staff of the Iowa Court of Appeals have been authorized to work from home.

Both the Iowa Supreme Court and the Iowa Court of Appeals will decide appeals without oral arguments at least through May 15. Cases that had been scheduled for oral argument before either court may be submitted without argument, or by video or telephone conference, at the courts’ discretion, under Christensen’s order.

The Supreme Court had scheduled two cases to be heard outside the Judicial Branch Building, one on March 26 at Drake Law School, and the other on March 31 in Oskaloosa. Both cases will now be submitted to the Court without oral argument.

The Court had also scheduled two days of oral arguments in Des Moines on April 7 and April 8, the last scheduled arguments for the 2019-2020 term.

SHARE

Tags: , ,

FEATURED POSTS

Iowa Supreme Court deadlocks on specifics required for liability waivers

When Dubuque police officer Katherine Avenarius accidentally shot herself in the leg while attending an Iowa Law Enforcement Academy firearms instructor school, she sued the academy claiming her injury was the result of an instructor’s advice on how to handle her firearm that contradicted how she had previously been trained. The State, which operates the academy, argued Avenarius signed a “clear and unequivocal” waiver and release of liability.

Iowa Supreme Court upholds minimum prison term for juvenile convicted of murder

The Iowa Supreme Court upheld a 35-year minimum prison sentence for a Fairfield juvenile who pleaded guilty to first degree murder for the death of his high school Spanish teacher. In its unanimous decision, the Court rejected the defendant’s argument that, under the Iowa Constitution, the State must present expert testimony showing a minimum sentence is necessary for a juvenile offender.

EDITORIAL TEAM

ABOUT

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.

RELATED BLOGS

Related Links

ARCHIVES