This year, as The Iowa State Bar Association celebrates Pro Bono Month and the legacy of the late Chief Justice Mark Cady, Chief Justice Christensen, on behalf of the Iowa Supreme Court, is encouraging attorneys to pledge to provide at least 22 hours of pro bono service in 2022. You can read Chief Justice Christensen’s letter to Iowa attorneys in full here.
The Iowa Supreme Court named Robert Gast state court administrator for the Iowa Judicial Branch. The state court administrator is responsible for the day-to-day management of Iowa's state court system. Gast is currently the District Court Administrator for the Fourth Judicial District that includes the counties of Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby.
On Thursday, September 23, and Friday, September 24, justices of the Iowa Supreme Court will meet with students from five Oskaloosa area schools to discuss the Iowa judicial system and the role of the courts in Iowa.
On Thursday, September 23, the Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Oskaloosa, Iowa. The proceeding will take place in the George Daily Community Auditorium at Oskaloosa High School, 1800 N. 3rd Street. The oral arguments are open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m.
The Iowa Supreme Court today announced its 2021-2022 adjudicative term calendar, including a special evening session to hear oral arguments in Des Moines, special sessions at Drake and Iowa law schools, and a special session in Oskaloosa. The court's adjudicative term is from September 2, 2021, to June 30, 2022.
Today, the Iowa Supreme Court issued a supervisory order requiring face coverings for all people entering court-controlled areas in all 99 counties regardless of a person’s vaccination status or a county or area’s positivity rate or transmission status. The order is available here https://www.iowacourts.gov/collections/650/files/1379/embedDocument/
Chief Justice Susan Christensen has appointed District Judge Patrick H. Tott, Sioux City, as chief judge of the Third Judicial District. Judge Tott succeeds Chief Judge Duane E. Hoffmeyer who will retire August 5, 2021. Judge Tott will begin the position of chief judge August 6, 2021.
June 30, 2021, is the last day of the 2020-2021 Iowa Supreme Court adjudicative term. During the term, 121 cases were submitted to the court. The court decided 120 cases by majority written opinions and held over one case, State of Iowa v. Hollis Bear, case number 20-0401, for resubmission.
Fourteen 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 Richard Doyle.
The Iowa Supreme Court approved a 2021-2022 judicial branch budget that will provide the courts the resources needed to transition from pandemic court services and processes to post-pandemic operations. The $189,640,252 budget, a 4.7 percent increase over the current fiscal year's budget, includes additional funding for four district associate judges and 17 clerks of court positions for mostly rural counties.