Justice
Sex offenders sue state after being denied leftovers from their Satanic feast
A group of convicted sex offenders is suing the state of Iowa, claiming their right to worship Lucifer with a weeklong feast of fried chicken, doughnuts and ice cream is being violated. Lawsuits filed by prison and jail inmates are commonplace, and many of them allege violations of constitutional rights related to religious practices. But […]
Policing bill, without a racial-profiling ban, moves through Iowa Senate
A version of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ controversial “Back the Blue” bill is moving through the Senate, but the ban on racial profiling that was part of the initial proposal is now gone. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday evening to advance Senate File 497, marking it safe ahead of Friday’s legislative deadline. The bill would […]
Iowa cop: After excessive-force probe, I resigned to ‘save my career’ in policing
A former Shenandoah police officer says that in an effort to land a job with another police agency, he quit his job last summer amid an excessive-force investigation related to his conduct. City officials say they didn’t inform the state police academy of that investigation. They now call it a confidential personnel matter despite a […]
Lawmakers consider reducing penalties for marijuana possession
Iowans arrested for possession of small amounts of marijuana would face less severe penalties under a bill proposed in the Iowa Senate. Senate Study Bill 1226 would make possession of under 5 grams of marijuana a simple misdemeanor for a first offense. That would mean a maximum punishment of up to 30 days in jail […]
Lawmakers move narrower liability shield for trucking industry
Lawmakers in the Iowa House advanced a revamped bill dealing with trucking industry liability Tuesday after critics said the previous version, which applied to all employers, was overly broad and unfair to people who had been injured by a negligent driver in a motor vehicle accident. House Study Bill 259 would still shield the motor […]
Families take a back seat to big business in Iowa Legislature
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature like to proclaim they are pro-life and pro-family. Most of the time, they act that way, pushing bills that they believe support parents and families. But what happens when their pro-life, pro-family agenda gets in the way of another one of their priorities: courting and catering to big business? Three […]
State’s appeal in Planned Parenthood case scheduled for Iowa Supreme Court
The state of Iowa and Planned Parenthood are preparing to square off in court again over a 2019 law that attempted to block the organization from receiving state funds for sex education programming. In May 2020, an Iowa district court struck down the controversial law, ruling that it was unconstitutional in that it violated Planned […]
Senate panels support liability shield for gun industry but not trucking firms
Two bills aimed at shielding certain industries from liability for injuries or deaths caused by their products or employees met different fates in the Iowa Senate Thursday. A three-member subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee declined Thursday to advance a bill that would have shielded employers from much of the liability for employees’ actions and […]
CR lawyer faces sanctions over ‘foreign scheme’ in which investors lost $700,000
A prominent Cedar Rapids attorney could be facing a second suspension of his law license for his role in an alleged high-risk foreign investment scheme that skirted federal regulations and resulted in investors losing $700,000. The Grievance Commission of the Supreme Court of Iowa is recommending the court suspend the law license of Bruce Willey […]
Cities and counties voice opposition to Reynolds’ police-funding proposal
A key element of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ “Back the Blue” legislation ran into more opposition Monday, even as it advanced in the Iowa Senate. Senate Study Bill 1203 stipulates that a city or county would be ineligible to “receive any state funds” if it reduces the budget of its law enforcement agency, unless that budget […]
Sioux City lawyer faces sanctions for alleged witness intimidation and dishonesty
A Sioux City attorney accused of witness intimidation and repeated acts of dishonesty is facing a possible suspension of his law license. Court records indicate attorney Harold K. Widdison is facing sanctions for actions related to court proceedings that grew out of his divorce in 2014. In 2016, Widdison filed a motion to modify a […]
Appeals court to hear city official’s lawsuit alleging newspaper ran him out of town
The Iowa Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments this week in an unusual case involving a former city administrator who argues that an eastern Iowa newspaper successfully campaigned to “run him out of town” through unfavorable news articles and editorials. Craig Malin, who served as Davenport’s city administrator from August 2001 until June 2015, […]