News Releases

This certification of the most recent one-year treasury constant maturity index published by the Federal Reserve in the H15 Report is distributed to the courts in conformance with Iowa Code Section 668.13(3). The average yield during the most recent month for securities included in the one-year treasury constant maturity index was 2.08 percent. This notice will be updated and distributed monthly.

The Iowa Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in two cases in the Woodbury County Courthouse, 620 Douglas Street, Sioux City, May 11, 2022, at 1:30 p.m.  The oral arguments are open to the public and the court encourages people to attend.  There will be time after the arguments for questions unrelated to any pending cases before the court.

In this month’s episode, I am sitting down with District 4 Court Administrator Laura Kyndesen to talk about her experience as a clerk of court, a district court administrator, and how distributive workload processing between counties is not only streamlining work for judicial employees but improving court services for Iowans as well.

https://www.iowacourts.gov/for-the-public/in-the-balance-podcast/2022/03/29/episode-19-distributive-workload-processing

The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case Wakonda Club v. Selective Insurance Company of America during a special evening session in Des Moines, Monday, February 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue.

Following three years of extensive study, review, and public comments, revised Iowa Court Rules of Criminal Procedure were approved by the Iowa Supreme Court and will go into effect July 1, 2022. Iowa’s criminal procedures have not undergone a comprehensive revision since 1978.

On Wednesday, January 12, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. in the House Chambers, Chief Justice Susan Christensen of the Iowa Supreme Court will address a joint convention of the General Assembly on the Condition of the Judiciary.

The Iowa Judicial Branch has launched its first interactive court forms for self-represented Spanish speakers, Divorcio sin Hijos (divorce with no children). Iowa Interactive Court Forms are free, easy-to-use interviews for preparing Iowa court forms. The interviews use a question and answer format to gather information, identify needed forms, and complete the approved forms for users. For Divorcio sin Hijos, the interview and instructions for printing, signing, and filing the forms with the court are in Spanish.

State Court Administrator Bob Gast named Ross Loder as deputy state court administrator for the Iowa Judicial Branch.  The deputy state court administrator assists the state court administrator in the day-to-day management of Iowa's state court system and its more than 1,700 employees.

On October 12, 2021, District 2B Judicial Nominating Commissioners signed a letter to Governor Reynolds submitting two nominees to fill a district court vacancy. After the Nominating Commission submitted the names of the nominees, the judicial branch was contacted by the governor’s office regarding complaints about the conduct of Commission Chair Judge Kurt Stoebe. Judge Stoebe and each member of the commission were contacted and, in light of the concerns raised by commission members, Judge Stoebe agreed to step down as chair of future nominating commissions. 

The Iowa Judicial Qualifications Commission is an independent government body responsible for investigating allegations of judicial misconduct.  The Iowa Supreme Court does not (and cannot) discipline judicial officers without first receiving a public report from the Judicial Qualifications Commission after its investigation.  The operations and procedures of the Commission are set forth in Iowa Code Sections 602.2103 and 2104.   More information regarding the Judicial Qualifications Commission can be found on their website: www.iowajqc.gov.

Seven Iowans applied with the State Judicial Nominating Commission to fill the vacancy on the Iowa Court of Appeals that will occur upon the retirement of Judge Michael Mullins.