Effective immediately, almost everyone in Iowa City will be required to wear a face covering while in public, according to a proclamation issued on Tuesday by Mayor Bruce Teague. “With more than 30,000 college students set to return to Iowa City in August, the time for action is now,” Teague said in livestreamed address during […]
Iowa Supreme Court
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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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Iowa reports 419 new COVID-19 cases and 26 more deaths the day after more restrictions are lifted
One day after Gov. Reynolds further relaxed Iowa’s remaining COVID-19 restrictions, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported another 419 Iowans have tested positive for the virus. The department also reported another 26 deaths due to the virus. That is the highest number of deaths reported on a single day so far. IDPH’s COVID-19 information […]
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Iowa Supreme Court extends order delaying the start of trials, Johnson County closes its courthouse to the public
On Thursday, the Iowa Supreme Court postponed almost all judicial proceedings in the state for at least two months. The court had previously ordered the delay of jury trials not yet underway on March 14, in an attempt to limit the spread of COVID-19, and this new order extends the delay and expands the scope […]
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Justice Susan Christensen elected chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
Justice Susan Christensen was selected by her fellow justices as the new chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court on Monday. Christensen succeeds Chief Justice Mark Cady, who died unexpectedly in November. Justice David Wiggins served as acting chief justice following Cady’s death. Wiggins announced in January that he will retire on March 13. “I […]
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Cedar Rapids issued more than 120,000 citations and collected $3.1 million in fines from traffic cameras in six months
Cedar Rapids’ automated traffic cameras generated 122,620 citations during the first six months after the city started using them again in July. The city also collected $3.1 million in fines for speeding or red light violations during those six months.
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Gov. Kim Reynolds calls for an anti-abortion amendment to the Iowa Constitution
Gov. Kim Reynolds called for adding an anti-abortion amendment to the Iowa Constitution in her Condition of the State speech on Tuesday. “As we begin 2020, I’m focused on the overall wellness of all Iowans, in every part of the State, in all stages of life,” the governor said early in her speech. “And when I say all stages of life, I mean to include the unborn.
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David Wiggins, acting chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, announces his resignation
David Wiggins, the acting chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, announced his retirement on Friday. According to a statement posted on the court’s website, Wiggins will step down on March 13. His current term was scheduled to expire in December. Wiggins was appointed to the court in 2003 by Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat.
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Cedar Rapids City Council votes to refund or cancel $17 million in fines to settle a lawsuit over traffic cameras
The Cedar Rapids City Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to settle a class action lawsuit that challenged the methods the city used to collect unpaid traffic camera fines. The lawsuit was filed in January 2018, a month after the city sent 221,000 notices to people with unpaid traffic camera citations, telling them to pay up or the outstanding amount would be sent to the Iowa Department of Administrative Service’s offset program for collection.
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Iowa Chief Justice Mark Cady, author of the landmark decision legalizing same-sex marriage in Iowa, has died
Mark Cady, chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, died on Friday. The death of the 66-year-old justice was announced by his family on Friday night. “Tonight, the state lost a great man, husband, father, grandfather, and jurist. Chief Justice Mark Cady passed away unexpectedly this evening from a heart attack,” the family said
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Iowa Supreme Court ruling on Coe College’s Grant Wood paintings costs school’s endowment more than $5 million
The Iowa Supreme Court ruled last week that Coe College in Cedar Rapids can’t include their seven Grant Wood paintings among the college’s assets, which lowered the value of Coe’s endowment fund by $5.4 million. The seven paintings — “The Fruits of Iowa” — were originally a mural that businessman Eugene Eppley commissioned Wood to
