The Iowa Supreme Court issued one opinion from March 6-12. As of March 12, the court issued 23 opinions in 2023—the same amount as this point a year ago. The opinion is below:
- Copeland v. State, where the court held that Iowa Code 35C.8, an exception to the veterans preference statute for veterans who “hold[] a strictly confidential relation to the appointing officer,” does not apply unless the veteran has a direct reporting relationship with the appointing officer.
From March 6-12, state supreme courts issued 186 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 41. The court leads in number of opinions issued because it publishes concurring and dissenting opinions separately, and when deciding whether a case can be appealed, the court logs these decisions as standalone, typically single-page, orders. State supreme courts in 16 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 120 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 66.
The Iowa Supreme Court is the state’s court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is Susan Christensen. The court issued 110 opinions in 2022 and 112 in 2021. Nationally, state supreme courts issued 9,243 opinions in 2022 and 10,133 in 2021. The courts have issued 1,548 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 985 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 563. Iowa is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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