Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is continuing to pursue a lawsuit against Winneshiek County and its sheriff, Dan Marx, for allegedly violating Iowa law by discouraging law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials. In her latest court filings, Bird has criticized Marx, alleging the sheriff has, in essence, asserted that “federal immigration officials should […]
first amendment
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ACLU of Iowa warns five cities that their anti-drag ordinances are unconstitutional
The ACLU of Iowa has sent letters to city councils in five communities, asking councilmembers to update their city codes and remove language classifying performances by male and female impersonators as “adult entertainment” banned or restricted by local law. ACLU of Iowa staff attorney Shefali Aurora said during an online news conference on Wednesday that the […]
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Alleging ‘fraud’ and ‘election interference,’ Trump sues the largest newspaper in Iowa, a state with no anti-SLAPP law
“I’m doing this not because I want to,” President-elect Donald Trump told reporters on Monday during his first news conference since the election. “I’m doing this because I feel I have an obligation.” Trump was talking about suing news organizations and others who published stories he considers unfair. The president-elect was responding to a reporter’s […]
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All of the ‘Big 5’ publishers are now suing Iowa over its school book ban
All of the “Big 5” publishing houses are now suing Iowa to overturn the state’s school book ban signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds in May 2023. Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, MacMillan Publishing Group and Simon & Schuster have joined Penguin Random House as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the book ban. […]
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Judge holds Iowa DOC in contempt for denying incarcerated plaintiffs access to reading material containing nudity amid lawsuit
Remarking that it’s not feasible to jail the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) for deliberately violating a court order, a Polk County judge has fined the agency $1,500 for contempt of court. The penalty stems from a lawsuit that 13 prison inmates, then housed at Anamosa State Penitentiary, filed against the DOC in 2018. The […]
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State will pay $49,000 settlement to journalist Laura Belin after six-year denial of media credentials
The state of Iowa will pay journalist Laura Belin $49,000 for legal expenses in the lawsuit Belin filed after repeatedly being denied media credentials by the Iowa House of Representatives. Less than a week after Belin filed her lawsuit in federal court in January, the chief clerk of the House reversed her decision and Belin […]
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Mississippi politician who smashed the Satanic Temple display at the Iowa Capitol seeks to have hate crime charge dismissed
The Mississippi politician who traveled to Des Moines in December to destroy the holiday display set up by the Satanic Temple (TST) in the rotunda of the Iowa State Capitol is seeking to have the hate crime charge for his actions dismissed. On Friday, the attorney for Michael Cassidy filed a motion in Polk County […]
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Jury acquits Tara McGovern on all charges related to the Oct. 16 protest outside the Iowa Memorial Union
It took a Johnson County jury just a few hours on Thursday to decide Tara McGovern was not guilty of both charges for which they had been arrested last November. The charges against McGovern, who was referred to as Tara Dutcher, their married name, throughout the proceedings, were related to an Oct. 16 protest at the Iowa Memorial Union and attracted much local attention and were even covered by the Washington Post.
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Mississippi politician charged with a hate crime for smashing the Satanic Temple display at the Iowa State Capitol
Court filings made public this week show Michael Cassidy has been charged with felony third-degree criminal mischief for vandalizing a holiday display at the Iowa State Capitol in December. Cassidy has said he traveled to Des Moines from his home in Mississippi specifically to smash the display from the Satanic Temple (TST). After the attack, […]
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Journalist Laura Belin granted press credentials by Iowa House for the first time in five years — days after filing a First Amendment lawsuit
After years of denying Laura Belin press credentials to cover the Iowa House of Representatives, it took the chief clerk of the House less than a week to reverse course after Belin filed a federal lawsuit. On Wednesday, Belin and the nonprofit Institute for Free Speech, which was representing her in the lawsuit, announced Belin […]
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After being repeatedly denied press credentials by the Iowa House of Representatives, journalist Laura Belin files a federal lawsuit
Laura Belin, one of Iowa’s leading political journalists, filed a federal lawsuit on Friday after being denied press credentials by the Iowa House of Representatives for the sixth year in a row. “Refusing to credential journalists for arbitrary reasons — or because lawmakers may not like tough coverage or her point of view — is […]
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‘A real act of cowardice’: Mississippi politician raises thousands of dollars online after vandalizing Satanic Temple display at Iowa State Capitol
Michael Cassidy, a 35-year-old resident of Mississippi, went to the Iowa State Capitol on Thursday to attack the holiday display from the Satanic Temple (TST) that had been on the first floor of the building since last week. Cassidy knocked down and beheaded the display’s Baphomet figure. After he finished his vandalism, Cassidy surrendered to […]
