Iowa

Special veterans courts see little money, little demand

Eric Gonzalez says he doesn’t remember getting pulled over, nor does he remember evading his arrest in Fullerton, California. The only thing he knows is that he woke up very hungover and faced up to nine years in prison for assaulting a police officer, along with five other charges.

Feb 22, 2019 3:00 PM CST

Former prosecutor who stole colleague’s underpants gets indefinite suspension

A former Iowa prosecutor who pleaded guilty to the theft of a colleague’s underpants has had his law license suspended. The Iowa Supreme Court suspended Benjamin Stansberry indefinitely last Friday, with no possibility of reinstatement for at least a year. Before he can be reinstated, Stansberry will have to provide…

Jan 29, 2019 3:46 PM CST

Iowa fetal heartbeat law struck down; other states mull similar bills and look to Supreme Court

A state court judge has overturned an Iowa law that bans most abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected. Judge Michael Huppert of Polk County, Iowa, ruled Tuesday that the law violates the Iowa Constitution, report the Des Moines Register and Iowa Public Radio. The decision comes as abortion opponents…

Jan 23, 2019 11:30 AM CST

Iowa’s ‘ag-gag’ law violates First Amendment, federal judge rules

A federal judge on Wednesday struck down an Iowa law that makes it a crime to obtain access to an agricultural production facility under false pretenses. U.S. District Judge James Gritzner of Des Moines said the “ag-gag” law violates the First Amendment, report Courthouse News Service, the Associated Press and…

Jan 10, 2019 3:19 PM CST

Charges tossed for accused child sex abuser after prosecutor’s public intoxication arrest at courthouse

An Iowa man accused of sexually assaulting a minor has won dismissal of the charges after the prosecutor was arrested at the courthouse for public intoxication on the day he was scheduled to enter a guilty plea. Judge Martha Mertz of Osceola, Iowa, dismissed charges against 23-year-old Dennis Simmerman on…

Dec 19, 2018 11:56 AM CST

Lawyer calls client an ‘idiot and a terrible criminal’ on Facebook

An Iowa lawyer decided to remove a Facebook post calling a client an “idiot and a terrible criminal” after receiving an inquiry from the Associated Press. Lawyer Chad Frese of Marshalltown told AP that his Facebook post recounted his reaction after a client accused him of being born into privilege.…

Nov 5, 2018 1:48 PM CST

Couple’s divorce terms are vacated because of judge’s ghostwritten opinion

A district judge in Iowa has vacated a couple’s divorce decree because it was ghostwritten by a lawyer without the knowledge of opposing counsel. District Judge Jeffrey Neary said Thursday that the marriage of Troy and Audra Presuhn is still dissolved but other aspects of their divorce are vacated, the…

Sep 14, 2018 9:13 AM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court says alleged sex harassment by former county attorney didn’t merit ouster

An elected prosecutor in southeast Iowa says he will be back on the job after the state’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that alleged sexual harassment didn’t qualify as willful misconduct meriting removal from office under state law. Former Van Buren County Attorney Abraham Watkins apologized for his behavior at a…

Jul 12, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Retired judge wrongly used ghostwritten rulings without notifying opposing parties, report says

A retired judge in Iowa failed to notify opposing parties in at least 13 cases that he was using proposed rulings written by lawyers, according to a review of his decisions released Friday.

Jun 5, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

Dangerous animal ban is vague as applied to Pinky the dog, Iowa appeals court says

The Iowa Court of Appeals has granted a reprieve to Pinky the dog in a 3-2 decision finding Des Moines’ dangerous animal ordinance was unconstitutionally vague as applied to the mixed-breed canine. The city is considering whether to appeal the April 4 decision, report the Des Moines Register and the…

Apr 5, 2018 12:24 PM CDT

Trump nominates 9 to federal court vacancies

Updated: Nine more nominees for federal judgeships were announced Tuesday by the White House. The newest wave of nominees are: • Mark Bennett, former attorney general of Hawaii, to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. • Andrew Oldham, general counsel for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to the…

Feb 13, 2018 4:00 PM CST

DOJ sends a hate-crimes lawyer to Iowa to help prosecution in murder of gender-fluid student

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sending a hate-crimes lawyer to Iowa to help local prosecutors in their case against a man accused of murdering a high-school student. The Justice Department lawyer, Christopher Perras, will act as a county prosecutor in the shooting death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson, who was killed…

Oct 16, 2017 2:55 PM CDT

Oct. 20, 1967: A jury rules against the KKK

When three Mississippi civil rights workers were shot dead, local law enforcement declined to pursue the case. Then the FBI moved in.

Oct 1, 2017 12:30 AM CDT

Sexually assaulted woman files civil rights action against city of Houston over rape kit backlog

Houston officials have known about a rape kit testing backlog for years but did not address the problem, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed this week. Current and former mayors and police chiefs from Houston are named as defendants, the Houston Chronicle reports. The action (PDF) is seeking…

Sep 27, 2017 5:30 PM CDT

Judge denies mistrial after juror faints during autopsy testimony

An Iowa murder trial over the slaying last year of a homeless man who was choked to death in a church parking lot was interrupted Thursday morning when a juror fainted during testimony by a forensic pathologist that included graphic autopsy photos. Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Patrick Grady excused…

Jun 2, 2016 2:00 PM CDT