UPDATES & ANALYSIS
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in Iowa City Sept 6 on Linn County Auditor’s election-security case
The Iowa Supreme Court’s first oral argument of the 2024-25 term is scheduled to be heard Sept. 6 at the University of Iowa College of Law. This case addresses the question of whether a county commissioner of elections claiming a violation of a federal election law by the Iowa Secretary of State is entitled to a contested …
Iowa Supreme Court kicks off 2024-25 term Sept. 6
The 2024-25 term of the Iowa Supreme Court will get under way Sept. 6 with the Court’s first scheduled oral argument to be held at the University of Iowa College of Law in Iowa City. Oral arguments in nine cases will be heard Sept. 11 and 12 in the Supreme Court courtroom in the Judicial Branch Building in Des Moines. Fiv …
A statistical review of the 2023-2024 Iowa Supreme Court term: The Court finds a new equilibrium
[This article by Matthew A. McGuire, Spencer S. Cady, and Chris E. Slack was originally published in the August 2024 issue of The Iowa Lawyer magazine.]
The period between 2018 and 2022 was a period of great change for the Iowa Supreme Court, with five of the seven current justices joining the Court d …
Firing for posting rainbow flag criticism did not violate Civil Rights Act, Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals holds
When Daniel Snyder posted a comment on his employer’s intranet site expressing his opposition to the company’s use of a rainbow flag indicating support for LGBTQ+ equality, he believed he was sending the post to be seen only by the sender of an employee survey.
Instead, his post could be seen by all employees through …
June 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in fifteen cases during June 2024. In addition to individual posts on six cases analyzed on this blog, the remaining opinions from June are summarized below.
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.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear oral arguments in Summit pipeline case Oct. 8 in historic Iowa State Capitol courtroom
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case involving Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed CO2 pipeline in a special evening session Oct. 8 in the historic Iowa Supreme Court courtroom in the Iowa State Capitol Building.
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in eight cases Oct. 8-10
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in eight cases Oct. 8-10. Six other cases will be submitted to the Court without argument. Following are brief summaries of the October cases.
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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.