UPDATES & ANALYSIS
Justice Ward Reynoldson (1920-2016): A humble judge who changed Iowa courts
The Iowa legal community lost a fine lawyer, judge and dogged advocate for court reform with the death Monday of former Iowa Chief Justice W. Ward Reynoldson.
Although he rose from a small practice in Osceola to the top of Iowa’s court system, Reynoldso …
Instructing jurors on the use (or non-use) of media in the digital world
The ubiquitous presence of social media present new challenges in keeping jurors from seeing potentially prejudicial information during trials.
That was at issue in a ruling read more
Eighth Circuit to decide whether company executives can be jailed under a “responsible corporate officer” theory
National business groups are keeping a nervous eye on two Iowa egg company executives’ appeal to be heard Thursday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St Paul.
A federal trial judge in Sioux City last April sentenced the top two execut …
Biological parents in 1965 adoption still secret, says Iowa Supreme Court
Iowa Supreme Court splits on when hearsay is admissible in domestic abuse cases
When should “hearsay testimony” of a medical professional identifying an alleged perpetrator be admitted in a domestic-assault prosecution? Only when the testimony is relevant to a medical procedure, a divided Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday.
The decisi …
FEATURED POSTS
Statistical Review of the Iowa Supreme Court’s 2016-17 Term: Hints at what to expect this term
To get an idea of what to expect in the Iowa Supreme Court’s new term that begins this week, it’s worth reviewing some statistics from the 2016-17 term. Based on past performance, the justices will be like-minded on most cases, they will cleave into two camps when they sharply disagree, and …
Assessing fault: The designated driver? Or a drunken passenger who fell off the trunk of the car?
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit ruled this past Tuesday that a designated driver should not be held to a greater degree of fault for a passenger’s injuries than the passenger. (Amy Hiltner v. Owners Insuranc …
Iowa Supreme Court’s September lineup: 26 cases on the calendar with 15 oral arguments
The Iowa Supreme Court begins its 2017-18 term Sept. 13 with a calendar packed with oral arguments over five days and two road trips to hear arguments outside the Judicial Branch Building.
The court has scheduled to hear arguments in 15 cases in September …
Eighth Circuit rules for union worker who hurled racist comments at strike breakers
“No employer in America is or can be required to employ a racial bigot.”
So begins Judge C. Arlen Beam’s dissent from a ruling Tuesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Cir …
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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.