UPDATES & ANALYSIS
When are police reports introduced in a civil trial public records? It depends, the Iowa Supreme Court says
The Iowa Supreme Court has clarified two previous rulings that reached seemingly contradictory positions on whether police investigative reports must be made public under the Iowa Open Records Act.
The clarification came in a ruling handed down April 5 in …
The final round of oral arguments for the Iowa Supreme Court’s 2018-19 term set for April 9
The Iowa Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in five cases on April 9, and nine other cases will be submitted to the court without oral argument. Three cases will be argued beginning at 9 a.m., and two will be argued beginning at 1:30 p.m.
Go to t …
From our archive: An interview with Justice Daryl Hecht, who died April 3
Three years ago Rox Laird, a contributor to this blog, sat down with Iowa Supreme Justice Daryl Hecht for a rare on-the-record interview ahead o …
Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could affect future wind power regulation
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Forest City April 2 in a case that raises for the first time a question about how Iowa law regulating approval of electric generating facilities applies to wind energy projects.
The argument, which is open …
Judges must know offenders’ ability to pay before ordering restitution, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Sentencing courts must know how much a convicted offender is reasonably able to pay before ordering payment of restitution to the State, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled in three separate cases March 22.
In all three cases, the sentencing courts ordered offen …
FEATURED POSTS
Iowa Supreme Court sides with first-in-time tenant in conflict between pet allergy and emotional support animal
The Iowa Supreme Court held that a tenant with a dog allergy may maintain civil claims for damages against their landlord arising from the landlord’s waiver of their no-pets policy for a neighboring tenant’s emotional support animal. In doing so, the Court emphasized the narrowness of its holding, characterizing its analy …
Iowa Supreme Court asked to toss suit seeking to force Iowa to regulate agricultural pollution
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in an appeal challenging a lawsuit filed by citizens and environmental groups claiming State environmental agencies failed to reduce the presence of agricultural pollutants in the Raccoon River.
Iowa CCI and Food & Water Watch filed suit in Polk County District Court in Marc …
Federal court says grand jury may see records of investigation into Iowa State Patrol officer misconduct
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit affirmed a federal court order denying the Iowa Department of Public Safety’s motion to quash a grand jury subpoena for department records related to an investigation of an Iowa State Patrol officer for misconduct or use of excessive force.
The August 2019 subpoena order …
Local civil rights ordinances not enforceable in state court, Iowa Supreme Court rules
Municipal ordinances created to protect residents’ civil rights are not enforceable in state court, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled June 30.
The Iowa Civil Rights Act authorizes the state Civil Rights Commission to issue “right to sue” letters to complainants, who are then able to file a civil suit in state district c …
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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.