A District Court Judge in Johnson County ruled on Monday that a law mandating a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion is unconstitutional, and issued a permanent injunction against the state enforcing it. Gov. Kim Reynolds had signed the measure — requiring a woman to have an appointment with a doctor […]
ACLU of Iowa
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Transgender Iowan sues to overturn state’s ban on Medicaid coverage for medically necessary procedures
A lawsuit challenging Iowa’s ban on allowing Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming procedures deemed necessary by a doctor was filed in Polk County District Court on Thursday by the ACLU of Iowa and the national ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project. The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of Aiden Vasquez, a transgender resident of southeast […]
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Linn County introduces marijuana diversion program
Individuals charged with marijuana possession in Linn County who don’t have a criminal record may be eligible for the county’s new marijuana diversion program. However, it’s unclear whether or not the program will address the county’s racial disparities for marijuana arrests. Linn County announced the marijuana diversion program was on Dec. 28, and it went […]
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Judge blocks Iowa’s new 24-hour abortion waiting period from going into effect
A Johnson County District Court judge issued a temporary injunction on Tuesday blocking enforcement of the new 24-hour waiting period for abortions passed by the Iowa legislature last month. The waiting period was scheduled to take effect on July 1. “We’re glad that patients can seek abortion care without the burden of a state-mandated delay […]
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Planned Parenthood and ACLU of Iowa file a lawsuit challenging new abortion restriction passed by Iowa lawmakers
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and the ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit seeking to stop a new restriction on abortion passed by the Iowa legislature earlier this month. A bill fast-tracked by Republican leaders in the legislature and passed only hours after it was introduced would mandate a 24-hour waiting period by requiring a […]
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Judge rules Iowa’s ban on funding for Planned Parenthood’s sex education programs is unconstitutional
A state district court judge has struck down as unconstitutional Iowa’s ban on Planned Parenthood of the Heartland (PPH) receiving public grant money to provide sex education programs in the state. “The Act has no valid, ‘realistically conceivable’ purpose that serves a legitimate government interest as it is both irrationally overinclusive and under-inclusive,” Judge Paul […]
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Report: Iowa is among the worst states in racial disparities for marijuana possession arrests
Iowa has one of the worst racial disparity problems in the country when it comes to arrests for marijuana possession, according to a report published by the ACLU on Monday. Nationwide, a black person is 3.64 times more likely to be arrested for possession of marijuana than a white person, but in Iowa, a black […]
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Planned Parenthood seeks injunction against Gov. Reynolds’ ban on surgical abortions (Updated)
Update: The Reynolds administration backed off its attempt ban all surgical abortions in Iowa under the governor’s emergency ordering prohibiting “nonessential or elective surgeries and procedures that utilize personal protective equipment,” before the starting of a Wednesday afternoon hearing on the Planned Parenthood of Heartland’s request for an emergency injunction. “Rita Bettis Austen, legal director […]
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Federal judge issue injunction against Iowa’s new ‘ag gag’ law
Iowa won’t be able to enforce its new “ag gag” law, until a federal court rules on its constitutionality. Senior Judge James Gritzner of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday, finding the public interest groups challenging the law were likely to succeed when the case is tried.
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Iowa sheriff’s department settles lawsuit filed by man arrested for rude Facebook post
A southwest Iowa county sheriff’s department has agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by a man who was arrested in July 2018, because he called a deputy a “fucking pile of shit” and a “STUPID sum bitch” on Facebook.
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Federal appeals court rules saying ‘fuck you’ to the police is free speech
Yelling “fuck you” at a police officer is an act of free speech protected by the U.S. Constitution, a federal appeals court ruled on Monday. “As protected speech, it should be free from retaliatory government actions,” the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals declared in a case from Arkansas.
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Transgender Iowans sue over state’s latest attempt to restrict Medicaid funding
On Friday, the ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit in state district court on behalf of two transgender Iowans and the LGBTQ rights group One Iowa, that seeks to overturn the state’s ban on the use of Medicaid funds to pay for sex reassignment procedures deemed medically necessary by doctors.
