Justice
Recent remarks from Justice Clarence Thomas, Gov. Kim Reynolds are soaked in irony
Irony has been so deep in recent days that we shouldn’t be surprised if people start walking around with their chore boots on or with the cuffs on their pants rolled up to avoid the mess. Consider: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas recently made an observation that caused some people’s eyes to bug in […]
Dozens of models claim Iowa strip clubs stole their ‘attention-generating qualities’
Dozens of professional models are suing nine Iowa strip clubs for the alleged unauthorized use of images of their faces and bodies in online advertisements. All of the plaintiffs are represented by the BMK Law Firm of Pella and the Aronowitz Law Firm of Royal Oak, Mich. The two firms have filed federal lawsuits against […]
U.S. House panel weighs labor law amendment to protect workers from wage theft
WASHINGTON — U.S. House lawmakers questioned several labor experts Wednesday before a House Education and Labor panel about how a new bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 would protect workers from wage theft. House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro introduced the bill, H.R. 3712, known as the “Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act […]
Lawsuit on judicial debt collection needs sunshine, not secrecy
The legendary U.S. Supreme Court justice Louis Brandeis once observed, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Brandeis was not talking about everyday cleaning around the home. He was concerned about the importance of transparency in rooting out or preventing corruption or abuses in the workings of a program, an organization or an […]
‘Like having CPR administered’: Noah’s Ark wins injunction to stay open
The managers of Des Moines’ Noah’s Ark restaurant won temporary protection Friday from being evicted, with a judge blocking efforts to terminate the 75-year-old eatery’s lease. The ruling means that, at least for now, the faction of the Lacona family that has run the restaurant since 1947 won’t be forced out of business. Other members […]
Judge denies governor’s request to dismiss public records lawsuit
A lawsuit brought by Iowa Capital Dispatch and others against Gov. Kim Reynolds that alleges her office repeatedly failed to comply with the state’s Open Records Law will proceed, a judge ruled Friday. Reynolds sought to dismiss the lawsuit, in part because her office provided some of the records after the lawsuit was filed in […]
Overturning Roe would hand power over abortion to states. Many would ban it.
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a nearly 50-year-old right to abortion would lead to strict restrictions or bans by states across nearly half the country almost immediately. The court is poised to overturn the landmark 1973 case Roe v. Wade, as well as a subsequent ruling on fetal viability, according to an initial draft […]
Fate of Noah’s Ark, a 75-year-old Des Moines eatery, now the subject of family dispute
The fate of a 75-year-old restaurant that has become a central Iowa institution may soon be in the hands of a Polk County judge. A dispute among members of the Lacona family, which founded the Noah’s Ark restaurant in Des Moines, has spilled into court, with one faction representing a trust that owns the real […]
Biden on leaked draft opinion on abortion: The ‘right to choose is fundamental’
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Tuesday that his administration “will be ready when any ruling is issued” on abortion rights, after the nation was rocked by the leak of a draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court that confirmed the court is planning to overturn access to abortion. “I believe that a woman’s right […]
Long-simmering dispute over Terrace Hill artifacts is headed for court
A non-partisan Iowa charity is taking a panel of the governor’s appointees to court for allegedly seizing control over artifacts in the governor’s mansion. Terrace Hill, located at 2300 Grand Ave. in Des Moines, is the official residence of the governor of the state, and is a National Historic Landmark built in 1869. The Terrace […]
Iowa-based Flexsteel agrees to $1.3 million settlement with laid-off workers
Flexsteel, the Iowa-based company has agreed to pay $1,275,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of using the pandemic to collect millions in federal aid while newly installed executives enriched themselves and denied severance pay to hundreds of laid-off workers. A federal judge has given the settlement preliminary approval, and notices have been […]
Jan. 6 panel asks three GOP members of the U.S. House to cooperate in probe
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House committee looking into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol sent letters Monday to Reps. Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama and Ronny Jackson of Texas, asking them to share information about meetings and conversations they had in the days and weeks leading up to the insurrection. “The […]