The Iowa Supreme Court issued four opinions from April 17-23. As of April 23, the court issued 44 opinions in 2023 — four fewer than this point a year ago. Three of the four opinions are below:
- State v. Booker, where the court “affirmed the judgment of the district court convicting Defendant of sexual abuse in the third degree, holding that Defendant was not entitled to reversal of his convictions on his allegations of error.”
- State v. Iowa District Court for Woodbury County, where the court “vacated Defendant’s sentence and remanded this case for resentencing…holding that the district court’s fine-only sentence was illegal.”
- Pitz v. U.S. Cellular Operating Co. of Dubuque, where the court “affirmed the judgment of the district court and the court of appeals in favor of a cell phone service company and dismissing this action brought by property owners, holding that there was no error.”
From April 17-23, state supreme courts issued 143 opinions nationally. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court issued the most with 20. State supreme courts in 15 states issued the fewest with zero. Courts where judges are elected have issued 83 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 60.
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 7,423 opinions in 2022 and 8,320 in 2021. The courts have issued 2,027 opinions in 2023. Courts where judges are elected have issued 1,113 opinions, while courts whose members are appointed have issued 914. Iowa is a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans control the governorship and both chambers of the state legislature.
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