Danielle Brown was one of five people in the bedroom of a house when a Des Moines police SWAT team swarmed in to execute a warrant naming a male occupant of the house to be searched for drugs and weapons. Brown was not named in the warrant but police searched her purse and found a small amount …
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Eighth Circuit upholds Sorenson prison sentence for lying about taking money for political endorsements
Former Iowa State Sen. Kent Sorenson’s 15-month sentence in federal prison for lying about taking payments for political endorsements was upheld by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit in St. Louis Tuesday.
Federal prosecutors had recommended …
Iowa Supreme Court urged to ban criminal prosecution of 13-year-olds in adult court
The Iowa Supreme Court is being asked to take another step toward protecting juvenile offenders from prison sentences designed for adults in an appeal set for argument Tuesday.
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Iowa Supreme Court finds a warrantless breath test while operating a boat was involuntary and violated the Iowa Constitution.
Supreme Court’s lottery ruling a lesson for Iowa law enforcement
Law enforcement authorities who dilly-dally in investigating crimes face the prospect of losing at trial because the statute of limitations clock has run out, the Iowa Supreme ruled Friday.
The Court threw out the 2015 conviction of Eddie Tipton, a former M …
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February 2024 Opinion Roundup
The Iowa Supreme Court entered opinions in eighteen cases during February 2024. You can read Rox Laird’s analysis of Singh v. McDermott, Selden v. DMACC, and Senator Roby Smith et al. v. Iowa District Court for Polk County. The remaining opinions from February are summarized here.
Iowa Court of Appeals divided on trial court’s vacatur of arbitration award
A two-judge majority of an Iowa Court of Appeals panel affirmed a Polk County District Court ruling vacating an arbitration award in a case involving financial regulation. The third member of the panel dissented, saying the majority and the trial court erred in substituting their conclusions …
In case to be heard in Bondurant April 2, Iowa Supreme Court is asked: When is a ‘firearm’ not an ‘offensive weapon’?
Is a replica of a 19th century muzzleloader rifle a “firearm” under Iowa law? No, argues a Burlington man convicted of possessing a firearm in violation of state law.
That question is the heart of an appeal to be argued before the Iowa Supreme Court in a special session April 2 in Bondurant. The oral argument, which …
Iowa Supreme Court to hear arguments in seven cases March 20, 21
The Iowa Supreme Court will hear arguments in seven cases March 20 and 21. Six other cases will be submitted to the Court without oral argument. Go to On Brief’s “Cases in the Pipeline” page to read briefs filed in these cases. Following are brief summaries of the cases to be argued
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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.