The Iowa Supreme Court issued five opinions from April 10-16. As of April 16, the court issued 40 opinions in 2023 — one fewer than this point a year ago. Three of five opinions are below:
- Belin v. Reynolds, where the court “affirmed as modified the judgment of the district court denying Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ claims of open records violations, holding that Iowa’s Open Records Act, Iowa Code chapter 22, may permit Plaintiffs to pursue claims based on untimeliness and that the district court did not err in granting Defendants’ motion to dismiss.”
- Konchar v. Pins, where the court “affirmed the decision of the district court granting summary judgment to Defendants as to some of Plaintiff’s claims and the judgment entered on the defense verdicts on Plaintiff’s remaining defamation claims, holding that Plaintiff had not shown grounds for reversal.”
- Anderson v. Iowa District Court, where the court “affirmed the judgment of the district court denying Appellant’s motion to correct an illegal sentence, holding that the district court did not err in denying Appellant’s motion.”
From April 10-16, state supreme courts issued 91 opinions nationally. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the North Dakota Supreme Court issued the most with nine. State supreme courts in 26 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 48 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 43.
The Iowa Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Susan Christensen. The court issued 110 opinions in 2022 and 112 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,883 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,029 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 854. Iowa is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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