Des Moines, August 19, 2014– On Thursday, September 11, the Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Iowa City, Iowa. The proceeding will take place in the Iowa City West High School auditorium, 2901 Melrose Avenue. The session is open to the public and will begin at 7 p.m.
The court will hear attorneys argue in two cases:
State of Iowa v. Zachariah J. Rogerson, No. 13-1329, from Dubuque County
The defendant is charged with four counts of serious injury by operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. Rogerson was granted discretionary review from the district court's order allowing some of the state's witnesses (the victims who reside out of state and witnesses from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation Criminalistics Laboratory) to testify at trial using the Iowa Communications Network (ICN). Rogerson argues it would violate his rights under the Confrontation Clauses of the United States and Iowa Constitutions to allow the state's witnesses to testify from outside of the courtroom via the ICN network when the state did not present any evidence of the necessity to allow remote testimony.
State of Iowa v. Yvette Marie Louisell, Case Number 14-0175, from Story County
The state appeals from the resentencing of Louisell who was convicted of murder in the first degree in 1988 for an offense she committed at seventeen years of age. The state argues the principles of cruel and unusual punishment allow a district court to strike down an unconstitutional sentence, but do not authorize it to create a determinate sentence. The district court imposed a 25-year sentence that, in light of Louisell's credit for time served, would result in her immediate release from prison. The district court's resentencing order was stayed pending the resolution of the state's appeal.
Note to News Media
News media are invited to attend the oral arguments. Court rules apply regarding still camera, video camera, audio recording devices, and other electronic devices used during the oral arguments. Information on expanded media coverage is available on the Iowa Judicial Branch Website at http://www.iowacourts.gov/For_the_Media/Expanded_News_Media_Coverage/ .
The Iowa Court Rules regarding cameras and other electronic devices in courtrooms are on the Iowa Legislature website at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/docs/ACO/CourtRulesChapter/06-30-2014.25.pdf . Internet Explorer 9 or higher is required to view this page of the Iowa Legislature website. Mozilla, Firefox, or Google Chrome will also work.
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