When cases are appealed from Iowa's district courts, both sides submit appellate briefs, or written legal arguments, to the court. Iowa appellate records and briefs are available through the following sources.
Iowa Records and Briefs,1910 - 2007
1910 - 1989, Law Library Stacks, 3rd Floor, North End
1990 - 2007, Law Library Iowa Wing
Shelved in order by docket number. The Court of Appeals was created in 1976; briefs after that time are color-coded with the Supreme Court bound in orange and the Court of Appeals bound in brown.
Iowa Records and Briefs 2008-present
Starting in Nov. 2017, the Iowa Supreme Court has made briefs available from its opinions page. Click on the case number to open a separate page that provides access to briefs and more.
For Iowa Supreme Court briefs dated 2008-Oct 2017 and Iowa Court of Appeals briefs back to 2008, students, attorneys, and the public should phone the Iowa Supreme Court Clerk of Court at 515-348-4700. Provide the case name and, if possible, the docket number. The clerk's office will email a digitized version of the brief to the requestor for a cost of 50 cents per page. Or, go to the clerk's office in person to use a public terminal where you may be able to save the briefs to your own flash drive without charge. The clerk’s office is open Monday through Friday from 8-12 and 1-4:30.
This database allows you to search for a particular case element and see the complete descriptive record, including docket number, case name, reporter citation, date, and court. For many unpublished decisions, a link in the record connects you to the printable PDF text of the opinion.
Electronic versions of most filings submitted after November 13, 2017, are available through the docket for the particular case; selected briefs prior to that date may also be available. Search using a docket number, case name, or keywords.
