UPDATES & ANALYSIS
Iowa Supreme Court’s 2023-24 term begins with oral arguments Sep. 13-14
The Iowa Supreme Court is set to begin its 2023-24 term with oral arguments Sept. 13 and 14 in Des Moines. The justices will travel to the Waverly-Shellrock High School for an evening oral argument on Sept. 19 and to the University of Iowa Law School on Sept. 29. The Court will also go on the road in October, February, and …
A statistical review of the 2022-2023 Iowa Supreme Court term
[This article by Matthew A. McGuire, Spencer S. Cady, and Chris E. Slack was originally published in the August 2023 issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine.]
In our analysis of the 2020- …
U.S. Supreme Court on California’s Proposition 12: Banning imports of pork from ‘cruel’ treatment not unconstitutional – at least for now
Most every state was affected one way or another by decisions handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in its recently ended term. A decision upholding California’s restriction on the sale of certain pork products in the state of California, however, may have an outsize impact on Iowa, which is the No. 1 pork producer and ex …
Iowa Supreme Court rules that Iowa Utilities Board must consider alternatives to a public utility’s plan for managing emissions
In an opinion filed on April 28, 2023, the Iowa Supreme Court in Environmental Law and Policy Center v. Iowa Utilities Board ruled under Iowa Code section 476.6 the Iowa Utilities Board erred in not considering certain intervenors’ evidence when approving MidAmerican Energy’s required biennial plan and budget f …
Work of Iowa Supreme Court continues during summer break between terms
Since the Iowa Supreme Court ended its 2022-23 term June 30 with release of all remaining decisions, the justices have been spending the summer months on court administration matters that could affect the practice of law and operation of Iowa courts for years to come.
Among the items on the Court’s administrative term …
FEATURED POSTS
Iowa Court of Appeals December 2023 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication within the North Western Reporter. On December 1, 2023, the Court of Appeals selected three opinions for publication, summarized below.
Iowa Supreme Court: ‘Scurrilous’ notes taped to doors of residents displaying rainbow flags amounted to hate crime
When Robert Geddes entered onto the private property of five Boone residents without permission, he violated Iowa’s trespass statute. It became a more serious crime when he taped “Burn that gay flag” messages on the front doors of those residences, which were displaying rainbow flags. That elevated the charge to tresp …
Iowa Court of Appeals September 2023 Published Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Court of Appeals selects certain opinions for publication within the North Western Reporter. In September 2023, the Court of Appeals selected six opinions for publication, summarized below.
Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals upends Voting Rights Act precedents on who has the right to challenge laws based on race or color
In the nearly six decades since the Voting Rights Act was enacted by Congress, federal judges have assumed private parties could bring suits in federal court to enforce the law that prohibits state or federal election policies that deny the right to vote based on race or color.
That assumption was upended in a Nov. 20 de …
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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.