Iowa

Couple’s divorce terms are vacated because of judge’s ghostwritten opinion

A district judge in Iowa has vacated a couple’s divorce decree because it was ghostwritten by a lawyer without the knowledge of opposing counsel. District Judge Jeffrey Neary said Thursday that the marriage of Troy and Audra Presuhn is still dissolved but other aspects of their divorce are vacated, the…

Sep 14, 2018 9:13 AM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court says alleged sex harassment by former county attorney didn’t merit ouster

An elected prosecutor in southeast Iowa says he will be back on the job after the state’s Supreme Court ruled 4-3 that alleged sexual harassment didn’t qualify as willful misconduct meriting removal from office under state law. Former Van Buren County Attorney Abraham Watkins apologized for his behavior at a…

Jul 12, 2018 7:10 AM CDT

Retired judge wrongly used ghostwritten rulings without notifying opposing parties, report says

A retired judge in Iowa failed to notify opposing parties in at least 13 cases that he was using proposed rulings written by lawyers, according to a review of his decisions released Friday.

Jun 5, 2018 7:05 AM CDT

Dangerous animal ban is vague as applied to Pinky the dog, Iowa appeals court says

The Iowa Court of Appeals has granted a reprieve to Pinky the dog in a 3-2 decision finding Des Moines’ dangerous animal ordinance was unconstitutionally vague as applied to the mixed-breed canine. The city is considering whether to appeal the April 4 decision, report the Des Moines Register and the…

Apr 5, 2018 12:24 PM CDT

Trump nominates 9 to federal court vacancies

Updated: Nine more nominees for federal judgeships were announced Tuesday by the White House. The newest wave of nominees are: • Mark Bennett, former attorney general of Hawaii, to the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. • Andrew Oldham, general counsel for Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, to the…

Feb 13, 2018 4:00 PM CST

DOJ sends a hate-crimes lawyer to Iowa to help prosecution in murder of gender-fluid student

Attorney General Jeff Sessions is sending a hate-crimes lawyer to Iowa to help local prosecutors in their case against a man accused of murdering a high-school student. The Justice Department lawyer, Christopher Perras, will act as a county prosecutor in the shooting death of 16-year-old Kedarie Johnson, who was killed…

Oct 16, 2017 2:55 PM CDT

Oct. 20, 1967: A jury rules against the KKK

When three Mississippi civil rights workers were shot dead, local law enforcement declined to pursue the case. Then the FBI moved in.

Oct 1, 2017 12:30 AM CDT

Sexually assaulted woman files civil rights action against city of Houston over rape kit backlog

Houston officials have known about a rape kit testing backlog for years but did not address the problem, according to a federal civil rights lawsuit filed this week. Current and former mayors and police chiefs from Houston are named as defendants, the Houston Chronicle reports. The action (PDF) is seeking…

Sep 27, 2017 5:30 PM CDT

Judge denies mistrial after juror faints during autopsy testimony

An Iowa murder trial over the slaying last year of a homeless man who was choked to death in a church parking lot was interrupted Thursday morning when a juror fainted during testimony by a forensic pathologist that included graphic autopsy photos. Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Patrick Grady excused…

Jun 2, 2016 2:00 PM CDT

Iowa Supreme Court rules life without parole is an unconstitutional sentence for juveniles

Sentencing a juvenile to life in prison without parole violates the Iowa Constitution, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday. The court said such sentences amount to cruel and unusual punishment, report the New York Times, the Washington Post and the Des Moines Register. The 4-3 ruling (PDF) goes further than…

May 31, 2016 8:56 AM CDT

Former lottery security chief and his brother, an ex-judge, charged with rigging payouts

A computer whiz installed software on random number-generating equipment while working as security director of the Iowa-based Multi-State Lottery Association that enabled him to rig games and direct a number of jackpots to his friends, authorities say. Already convicted last year of rigging a $16.5 million Iowa jackpot, Eddie Tipton…

Apr 7, 2016 2:40 PM CDT

Suit claims rigged lottery game reduced subsequent winner’s jackpot

An Iowa man has filed a lawsuit claiming that his $6 million lump-sum lottery win in 2011 would have been $10 million larger if the game hadn’t been rigged less than five months before by a wayward employee. The suit was filed on behalf of “Lucky Larry” Dawson on Wednesday,…

Feb 4, 2016 12:25 PM CST

Officials sue estate of man who shot at assessor, killed himself in courthouse

Officials who helped tackle a man who fired a shot at an Iowa tax assessor and then killed himself at the Jackson County courthouse in 2014 are pursuing individual lawsuits against his estate. The gunman was former Maquoketa City Manager Francis “Gus” Glaser, 71, and the incident took place during…

Jan 22, 2016 3:45 PM CST

Chief judge wants more security at courthouse where shooting occurred during government meeting

More than a year after an armed man fired a shot during a meeting at an Iowa courthouse and then killed himself during an ensuing struggle, the Jackson County courthouse still has no armed bailiff regularly on duty. But Chief 7th Judicial District Judge Marlita Greve hopes that will soon…

Jan 15, 2016 2:05 PM CST

Ex-client wins nearly $500K in malpractice and domestic assault suit against lawyer

A former client won a jury award of nearly $500,000 on Wednesday in a malpractice and domestic assault lawsuit against the Iowa lawyer who represented her in a divorce case. The award against Anthony Zane Blessum, a West Des Moines practitioner who formerly served for 11 years as the top…

Nov 20, 2015 10:35 AM CST