Iowa

Art Project and Late-Awarded Law License Recall Exclusion of Black Lawyers

Two news stories this week—about an art project in Iowa and a Pennsylvania Supreme Court decision—call attention to a history of discrimination against black lawyers. In Pennsylvania, a man twice denied admission to law practice in the 1800s because he was black has been awarded a law license posthumously. The…

May 7, 2010 10:30 AM CDT

Life Sentence Sought By Feds for Kosher Meat Plant Exec Ignites Firestorm

News that federal prosecutors are seeking an unusual life sentence for an executive of a kosher meatpacking plant in Iowa has ignited a firestorm of criticism. Originally targeted in a huge 2008 immigration raid of the Postville company then known as Agriprocessors Inc., Sholom Rubashkin was charged in a massive…

Apr 26, 2010 5:52 PM CDT

County Atty Turns in Keys After License is Suspended Over ‘06 Relationship With Client

An elected county attorney in Iowa has reportedly turned in his office keys after the state’s top court today suspended his law license over a sexual relationship he had with a private client in 2006 while representing her in a child-custody case. Floyd County Attorney Jesse Marzen declined to comment…

Mar 19, 2010 11:56 PM CDT

Utah Gov. Studying Bill That Would Hold Women Criminally Liable for Illegal Abortions

A 17-year-old girl’s decision to pay a stranger $150 to beat her up in hopes of inducing a miscarriage created such an outrage in Utah that the governor is now weighing whether to sign legislation that would criminalize illegal abortions. The legislation, known as Utah State House Bill 12, would…

Mar 2, 2010 6:16 PM CST

Prosecutor Removes Ash from Forehead at Request of Judge

A defense lawyer objected last Wednesday when an Iowa prosecutor returned to an attempted murder trial after a lunch break with ash on his forehead. Assistant Marshall County Attorney Paul Crawford was observing Ash Wednesday, the Marshalltown, Iowa, Times-Republican reports. Defense lawyer Aaron Hawbaker objected, saying he feared jurors could…

Feb 22, 2010 3:21 PM CST

EEOC Hit with $4.5M Legal Fee Award in Losing ‘Pattern & Practice’ Case, Plans Appeal

A federal judge has ordered the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to pay an Iowa trucking company’s $4.56 million legal bill after dismissing what she characterized as a pattern and practice sexual harassment lawsuit brought by the federal agency in 2007 on behalf of female drivers. Although “not unprecedented,” a fee…

Feb 17, 2010 10:56 PM CST

Lawyer Suspended for 6 Months Over 3rd Drunken-Driving Conviction

An Iowa attorney’s law license has been suspended for at least six months after he was convicted for the third time of driving while intoxicated, even though there was no evidence that the felony or his admitted alcoholism had any direct relationship to the longtime practitioner’s legal work or adversely…

Oct 23, 2009 5:48 PM CDT

Would-Be Law Prof Sues for Age Bias, Asks Why Schools Don’t Value Experience

Updated: A Michigan lawyer who didn’t get an interview for a faculty job at the University of Iowa has sued for age discrimination. Immigration lawyer Donald Dobkin says he was 55 when he responded to a law school ad last year seeking teachers with experience in administrative law, immigration and…

Aug 21, 2009 12:22 PM CDT

Teflon Suit Dropped After Judge Denies Class Certification

A lawsuit claiming Teflon cookware poses a health risk was dismissed after plaintiffs lawyers failed in their bid to win class certification. The suit contended that a chemical used in the Teflon manufacturing process releases toxic particles when heated during cooking, the Associated Press reports. If successful, the suit could…

May 13, 2009 2:42 PM CDT

Midsize Midwestern Firms Outside of Big Cities Doing Relatively Well

Midsize Midwestern law firms outside of major urban areas are doing better than their larger counterparts, where layoffs are common and associate start dates are being pushed back. Midwestern firms with between 100 and 450 lawyers haven’t relied as much on work stemming from capital markets and mergers and acquisitions.…

Apr 27, 2009 5:39 PM CDT

High Court to Consider Prosecutor Immunity for Using False Testimony

The U.S. Supreme Court has decided to hear a case involving prosecutor immunity from lawsuits for procuring false evidence in a criminal investigation and then using it at trial. The case, Pottawattamie County v. Harrington, represents “a significant new test case on prosecutors’ immunity,” SCOTUSblog reports. The case was brought…

Apr 20, 2009 3:17 PM CDT

Why Iowa Decision Allowing Gay Marriages Will Be Hard to Overturn

A decision by the Iowa Supreme Court last week striking down the state’s ban on same-sex marriages will be more difficult to overturn by voters than a similar court decision in California. The Iowa decision held gays’ right to marry was protected by the equal protection clause of the state…

Apr 6, 2009 11:48 AM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage Ban

The Iowa Supreme Court has struck down the state’s ban on same-sex marriages in an opinion that notes other state rulings at the forefront of civil rights. The court ruled the ban violates the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution, according to the Associated Press and the Des Moines…

Apr 3, 2009 2:32 PM CDT

Judge Explains Why He Allowed Reporter to Live Blog Federal Criminal Trial

U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett of Sioux City, Iowa, is a tech-savvy judge in a district with high-tech courtrooms. When he was a practicing lawyer in a small law firm, Bennett was willing to pay an “outrageously expensive” amount to make his office possibly the first in the state to…

Jan 16, 2009 10:46 PM CST

Beaten Hooters Waitress Wins Unemployment Benefits

The Hooters employment manual doesn’t expressly state that waitresses at the restaurant can’t work with bruises and a black eye. But it does say that the women hired to work in revealing uniforms as so-called Hooters girls at the national chain must have a glamorous appearance and strive for the…

Jan 6, 2009 12:34 AM CST