Justia Civil Rights Opinion Summaries

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court dismissing Plaintiff's claims against Defendants for wrongful termination, workplace harassment, and age discrimination, holding that the district court properly granted summary judgment on all claims.Plaintiff, an at-will employee, was promptly fired after he texted his plant manager "FUCK You!" and "Believe who and what you want" following the manager's criticism of his job performance. In response to Plaintiff's complaint, Defendants moved for summary judgment on the grounds that Plaintiff was lawfully fired for insubordination. The district court granted summary judgment in favor of Defendants. The Supreme Court modified the McDonnell-Douglas burden-shifting framework for summary judgment on discrimination claims under the Iowa Civil Rights Act to align with the causation standard at trial and adopted and applied the good-faith "honest believe rule" to affirm Defendant's decision to terminate Plaintiff's employment for insubordination. View "Feeback v. Swift Pork Co." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction of murder in the first degree, holding that Defendant was not entitled to relief on his allegations of error.In 2019, police charged Defendant with murder in the first degree for a murder committed in 1979. The charges were based on the results of a DNA test that was performed on a drinking straw that the police retrieved from an eating establishment where Defendant had eaten. A jury found Defendant guilty and sentenced him to prison. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the district court did not err by denying Defendant's motion to suppress evidence about DNA that police found on the straw that Defendant discarded or to analyze DNA attached to the straw; (2) the district court did not abuse its discretion by declining to give an instruction regarding federal sentencing law; and (3) the evidence was sufficient to support Defendant's conviction. View "State v. Burns" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Defendant and dismissing Plaintiff's claim that Iowa's tax-sale statute violates due process because it doesn't require personal service of a written notice that the taxpayer will lose his or her land, holding that the court did not err.Plaintiff stopped paying property taxes on a parcel of farm land he obtained, and the parcel was sold at a tax sale. Defendant paid Defendant's overdue taxes and received a certificate of purchase. When Plaintiff did not redeem the parcel Defendant sent Plaintiff notice by regular mail and certified mail to the parcel itself and to Plaintiff's last known address. After ninety days the county treasurer issued a tax sale deed to Defendant. Plaintiff brought this action claiming he did not timely receive actual notice of the tax sale proceedings and that Iowa Code 447 violates constitutional due process guarantees because it does not require effective notice. The district court granted summary judgment for Defendant. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Plaintiff failed to show a due process violation in this case. View "Kluender v. Plum Grove Investments, Inc." on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence for voluntary manslaughter, holding that the circuit court committed no instructional error or constitutional violation in the underlying proceedings.On appeal, Defendant argued, among other things, that the district court erred in instructing the jury on a "stand your ground" defense, which confused the jury about his actual justification defense. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) Defendant was not entitled to relief on his argument that the stand-your-ground defense wasn't in play, and thus that the stand-your-ground instruction was erroneously given; and (2) including the term "illegal activity" in the instructions did not violate Defendant's right to due process. View "State v. Ellison" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the district court's ruling granting Defendant's motion to suppress statements she made during a custodial interview, holding that some deception by law enforcement in this case did not exceed what the legal system tolerates.Defendant's husband died of strangulation after being zip-tied in a chair in his residence. Defendant claimed that her husband had tied himself up. During an interview at the police station, police officers told Defendant falsely that doctors were still working to save her husband's life. An hour and half into the interview the officers corrected their deception. The officers also made various reassurances and suggestions to the woman. The trial court granted Defendant's motion to suppress. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the officers' lie about whether her husband had been pronounced dead did not affect Defendant's essentially knowing and voluntary waiver of her Miranda rights; and (2) the officers' expressions of sympathy did not amount either to express or implied promises of leniency that would create a fair risk of a false confession. View "State v. Park" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court held that In re T.H., 913 N.W.2d 578 (Iowa 2018) applies only to juvenile sex offenders whose cases are prosecuted and resolved in juvenile court and declined Defendant's invitation to apply its holding to a juvenile offender who is prosecuted and convicted in district court.At age seventeen, Defendant confessed to sexually abusing three children. Defendant was convicted on four class B felony counts and, at age twenty, was sentenced to terms of imprisonment. The court suspended the prison sentences, placed Defendant on probation, and imposed the special sentence of lifetime parole applicable to class B felonies under Iowa Code section 903B.1. The court further required Defendant to register as a sex offender under Iowa Code 692A.103(1). Defendant appealed, arguing that it is unconstitutional under In re T.H. to require a juvenile to register as a sex offender. The Supreme Court reversed in part, holding (1) In re T.H. does not apply to juvenile sex offenders prosecuted in district court; (2) registration under chapter 692A is not part of the "sentence" that can be suspended under section 901.5(13); and (3) Iowa Code 901.5(13) allowsed the district court to suspend Defendant's Iowa Code 903B.1 special sentence in whole or in part. View "State v. Hess" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed Defendant's conviction for second-degree sexual abuse, holding that Defendant's constitutional right to a public trial was violated when the trial court closed his trial during the COVID-19 pandemic.Defendant was set to stand trial on felony charges in March 2020, but his trial was repeatedly rescheduled due to COVID. The district court ultimately concluded that allowing anyone in to attend Defendant's trial, including his family and friends, violated COVID protocols previously set by the Supreme Court. The district court also rejected the option of live-streaming the trial. The jury subsequently convicted Defendant of second-degree sexual abuse. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the district court's exclusion of all members of the public from Defendant's trial violated Defendant's constitutional rights, requiring a new trial. View "State v. Brimmer" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court in favor of the State, the Iowa Department of Corrections, and the director of the Iowa Department of Corrections (collectively, Defendants) and against Plaintiff on his claims of employment discrimination, holding that Plaintiff's constitutional claims failed.Plaintiff sued Defendants under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. On the morning of trial, Plaintiff objected to the composition of the jury venire, arguing that the jury venire did not represent a fair cross section of the community. The district court denied the challenge, ruling that the fair-cross-section requirement does not apply to civil jury trials. Thereafter, the jury found that Plaintiff failed to prove any of his claims. On appeal, Plaintiff argued that the Fifth and Seventh Amendments of the United States Constitution require that civil juries be drawn from a fair cross section of the community. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that Plaintiff's federal claims failed. View "Savala v. State" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the court of appeals affirming Defendant's conviction for possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver, holding that Iowa R. Evid. 5.106 and the common law doctrine of completeness cannot trump Iowa R. Evid. 5.402.Specifically, the Supreme Court held (1) Defendant's right to a jury drawn from a fair cross section of the community under Iowa Const. art. I, 10 was not violated; (2) Defendant's claims of ineffective assistance of counsel were not properly before the Court and must be raised in the first instance on postconviction review; (3) the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding certain documents proffered by Defendant as a discovery sanction; (4) the district court did not abuse its discretion in showing the jury an abbreviated version of a law enforcement officer's bodycam video; and (5) the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions. View "State v. Tucker" on Justia Law

The Supreme Court reversed the order of the district court granting Defendant's motion to suppress his breath test because no interpreter was available and the advisory was read to him in English, holding that the police officer discharged his duty by making all reasonable efforts to obtain a Tigrinya interpreter before reading the advisory to Defendant in English.Defendant was from Eritrea, and his primary language was Tigrinya. Defendant, who was pulled over for traffic violations, agreed to do a preliminary breath test, which came back over the legal limit. He was then arrested and transported to a law enforcement center. The arresting officer contacted a commercial service known as Language Line to obtain an on-demand Tigrinya interpreter for the implied consent advisory, but not such interpreter was available. The officer then read Defendant the advisory. Defendant was subsequently charged with operating while intoxicated second offense. Defendant moved to suppress the evidence of his blood alcohol content from the DataMaster test on the grounds that he did not give consent. The district court sustained the motion. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the officer complied with Iowa Code 321J.8 by making reasonable efforts and using reasonable methods to convey to Defendant the implied consent advisory. View "State v. Baraki" on Justia Law