Iowa Case Commentaries

Iowa Supreme Court Establishes Right to Freestanding Actual Innocence Claims Despite Guilty Pleas

Date: Mar 24, 2018

Iowa Supreme Court Establishes Right to Freestanding Actual Innocence Claims Despite Guilty Pleas Introduction In the landmark case of Jacob Lee Schmidt v. State of Iowa (909 N.W.2d 778, 2018), the...

Supreme Court of Iowa Affirms Magistrate Jurisdiction to Extend No-Contact Orders in Simple Misdemeanor Cases

Date: Feb 10, 2018

Supreme Court of Iowa Affirms Magistrate Jurisdiction to Extend No-Contact Orders in Simple Misdemeanor Cases Introduction The case of Chad Dennis Vance v. Iowa District Court for Floyd County (907...

Comprehensive Commentary on State of Iowa v. James Michael Coleman: Interpretation of Sex Offender Registry Compliance

Date: Feb 3, 2018

Comprehensive Commentary on State of Iowa v. James Michael Coleman: Interpretation of Sex Offender Registry Compliance 1. Introduction In the case of State of Iowa v. James Michael Coleman (907...

Iowa Supreme Court Affirms Termination of Parental Rights in A.S. Case

Date: Jan 20, 2018

Iowa Supreme Court Affirms Termination of Parental Rights in A.S. Case Introduction The case of In the Interest of A.S., Minor Child, A.S., Mother, Appellant (906 N.W.2d 467) adjudicated by the...

Termination of Parental Rights: Supreme Court of Iowa Sets New Precedent

Date: Dec 9, 2017

Termination of Parental Rights: Supreme Court of Iowa Sets New Precedent Introduction The Supreme Court of Iowa, in the case of In the Interest of L.M., Minor Child, K.L., Mother, Appellant (No....

Supreme Court of Iowa Upholds Standby Interpreter Requirement: Implications for Defendant Rights

Date: Nov 18, 2017

Supreme Court of Iowa Upholds Standby Interpreter Requirement: Implications for Defendant Rights Introduction In the case of State of Iowa v. Carlos Ariel Gomez Garcia (904 N.W.2d 172), the Supreme...

State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr.: Expanding the Framework for Assessing Jury Pool Representativeness

Date: Jul 1, 2017

State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr.: Expanding the Framework for Assessing Jury Pool Representativeness Introduction In the landmark case of State of Iowa v. Kelvin Plain Sr., the Supreme Court of Iowa...

State of Iowa v. Tipton: New Precedents on Statute of Limitations for Lottery Fraud and Tampering with Gambling Equipment

Date: Jun 24, 2017

State of Iowa v. Tipton: New Precedents on Statute of Limitations for Lottery Fraud and Tampering with Gambling Equipment Introduction In the landmark case State of Iowa v. Eddie Tipton (897 N.W.2d...

Iowa Supreme Court Clarifies Juvenile Sentencing Framework: Upholding Minimum Incarceration Terms with Proper Mitigation

Date: Jun 17, 2017

Iowa Supreme Court Clarifies Juvenile Sentencing Framework: Upholding Minimum Incarceration Terms with Proper Mitigation Introduction The State of Iowa v. Christopher Ryan Lee Roby (897 N.W.2d 127)...

Supreme Court of Iowa Establishes Precedent on Backdoor Hearsay in Criminal Appeals

Date: May 6, 2017

Supreme Court of Iowa Establishes Precedent on Backdoor Hearsay in Criminal Appeals Introduction In State of Iowa v. Vernon Lee Huser (894 N.W.2d 472, 2017), the Supreme Court of Iowa addressed...

Marriott International v. Alcala: Establishing Standards for Jury Instructions in Premises Liability Cases

Date: Jun 11, 2016

Marriott International v. Alcala: Establishing Standards for Jury Instructions in Premises Liability Cases Introduction In the landmark case Brenda J. Alcala v. Marriott International, Inc., decided...

State v. Schlitter: Reinforcing Defense Counsel's Duty to Challenge Sufficiency of Evidence for All Alternative Charges in Child Endangerment Cases

Date: Jun 11, 2016

State v. Schlitter: Reinforcing Defense Counsel's Duty to Challenge Sufficiency of Evidence for All Alternative Charges in Child Endangerment Cases Introduction In the landmark case State of Iowa v....

Requirement for Explicit Reasoning in Consecutive Sentencing: Insights from STATE of Iowa v. Donald James Hill

Date: Apr 23, 2016

Requirement for Explicit Reasoning in Consecutive Sentencing: Insights from STATE of Iowa v. Donald James Hill Introduction The Supreme Court of Iowa, in STATE of Iowa v. Donald James Hill (878...

Guilty Pleas and Wrongful Imprisonment: The Rhoades v. State Decision

Date: Apr 16, 2016

Guilty Pleas and Wrongful Imprisonment: The Rhoades v. State Decision Introduction Rhoades v. State, 880 N.W.2d 431, is a landmark case adjudicated by the Supreme Court of Iowa on April 15, 2016. The...

Right to Be Informed of Automatic License Revocation and Fine Surcharges in Guilty Pleas: Analysis of STATE of Iowa v. Fisher

Date: Apr 9, 2016

Right to Be Informed of Automatic License Revocation and Fine Surcharges in Guilty Pleas: Analysis of STATE of Iowa v. Fisher Introduction STATE of Iowa v. Kevin Duane Fisher II (877 N.W.2d 676) is a...

Iowa Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Jury Impartiality and New Trials on Weight of Evidence

Date: Apr 9, 2016

Iowa Supreme Court Clarifies Standards for Jury Impartiality and New Trials on Weight of Evidence Introduction The case of STATE of Iowa, Appellee, v. Kenneth Osborne Ary, Appellant presents...

Nonretroactive Application of Heemstra in Nguyen v. State: Establishing Limits on Felony-Murder Doctrine

Date: Mar 12, 2016

Nonretroactive Application of Heemstra in Nguyen v. State: Establishing Limits on Felony-Murder Doctrine 1. Introduction In the landmark case of Phuoc Nguyen v. State of Iowa, decided by the Supreme...

Supreme Court Upholds Termination of Parental Rights Under Iowa Code § 232.116(1)(h)

Date: Mar 5, 2016

Supreme Court Upholds Termination of Parental Rights Under Iowa Code § 232.116(1)(h) Introduction The case of In the Interest of M.W. and Z.W., Minor Children, R.W., Mother addresses the complex and...

Admissibility of Flight Evidence as Consciousness of Guilt: State v. Wilson

Date: Feb 20, 2016

Admissibility of Flight Evidence as Consciousness of Guilt: State v. Wilson Introduction In State of Iowa v. John Arthur Wilson, 878 N.W.2d 203 (Iowa 2016), the Supreme Court of Iowa examined the...

Supreme Court of Iowa Reaffirms Statutory Factors Over External Guidelines in Spousal Support Determinations

Date: Jan 30, 2016

Supreme Court of Iowa Reaffirms Statutory Factors Over External Guidelines in Spousal Support Determinations Introduction The case of In re the Marriage of Richard C. Mauer and Carol K. Mauer (874...