Justice
Iowa Supreme Court hears arguments in abortion case
The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments Wednesday over legislative attempts to require that women wait 24 hours before receiving an abortion. In 2020, the Iowa Legislature approved the waiting period, only to have abortion provider Planned Parenthood sue the state. That resulted in a district court judge blocking enforcement of the law while citing a […]
U.S. Supreme Court will hear case over whether web designer can deny service to gay couples
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a Colorado case over whether the state’s anti-discrimination law can compel a Christian graphic designer to create wedding websites for same-sex couples, even if doing so contradicts her religious viewpoint. The court will consider the case, 303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, later this year. It will specifically […]
What I learned from watching more than 500 Jan. 6 videos
I recently watched hundreds of videos from the Jan. 6 insurrection. Many of the stark moments from the attack on the U.S. Capitol are well-known — the battle at the west terrace tunnel, the shooting of rioter Ashli Babbitt, the desecration of the Senate chamber. But nothing provides the kind of granular and exhaustive understanding […]
State judges across the U.S. face growing GOP pushback against rulings in election cases
In mid-December, Texas’ highest criminal court revoked the state attorney general’s ability to use his office to prosecute election-related cases without the request of a district or county attorney. In an 8-1 opinion, the all-Republican court weakened Attorney General Ken Paxton’s power to independently go after perpetrators of voter fraud, a problem he says is rampant but […]
Iowa mom and son fight subpoena for phone records in Capitol riot probe
An Iowa mother and her son, accused of participating in last year’s riot at the U.S. Capitol, are asking a federal judge to quash a congressional subpoena for their phone records. Likening the subpoena to “a banner headline in the National Enquirer,” Deborah Sandoval of Des Moines and her son, Salvador Sandoval Jr. of Ankeny, […]
Arson case leads to $1 million lawsuit against convenience store
A convenience-store operator is facing a $1 million lawsuit for allegedly selling gasoline to a man accused of using the fuel to torch a Des Moines apartment building. The insurance company for the owner of the Southern Knolls apartment complex at 1300 E. Watrous St., is suing the QuikTrip Corp. of Tulsa, Oklahoma, in federal […]
Hy-Vee sued by artist for using his street mural in a Super Bowl commercial
An artist whose Des Moines street mural was seen in a 2019 Super Bowl commercial for Hy-Vee Foods is suing the grocery chain for alleged copyright infringement. In a federal lawsuit filed last week, painter Chris A. Williams alleges that in 2019, Hy-Vee created a television commercial to promote the retailer’s partnership with Oprah Winfrey’s […]
Students defrauded by for-profit colleges to get millions in loan repayments
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that nearly 16,000 student borrowers would receive millions in loan repayments, after the department found that four private for-profit institutions made misleading claims about their job placement rates. “The Department remains committed to giving borrowers discharges when the evidence shows their college violated the law and […]
Reynolds warns of ‘improper expansion’ of disability law in mask-mandate case
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is asking a federal appeals court to reconsider a decision allowing some Iowa schools to impose face-mask mandates. In recent court filings, attorneys for the governor argue that a recent ruling permitting mask mandates in some Iowa schools will “cause chaos” and result in an unprecedented and “improper expansion of federal […]
Iowa romance writer drops lawsuit against literary agent
An Iowa writer of romance novels has dropped her lawsuit that accused her literary agent of attempting to take over her ongoing series of novels. Marci Clark of Newton, who writes under the names Marci Bolden, Marci Boudreaux, M. Bolden and Emilia Mancini, filed a federal lawsuit in December against her literary agent, David Grishman […]
U.S. House panel debates record number of guns found at airport checkpoints
WASHINGTON — U.S. House members wrestled Tuesday with how to address a spike in travelers trying to bring firearms through airport screening points in carry-on bags. During 2021, Transportation Security Administration officers detected 5,972 firearms at checkpoints, 86% of which were loaded. That number was up from the previous record of 4,432 discovered in 2019. The […]
Iowa at war with tobacco companies over $110 million in payments
The state of Iowa is fighting with tobacco companies over $110 million the attorney general’s office says is due to the state. The office of Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller recently asked the state’s Executive Council for permission to hire a team of private attorneys to pursue the matter, telling the council the issue is […]