A letter from Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Larson Christensen.
It’s December already and, as this calendar year comes to a close, we begin looking forward to working with your legislators for judicial branch funding for the next fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2023. Hopefully, you have seen our budget request. If you have not, you can find it here: https://www.iowacourts.gov/iowa-courts/fy-2024-budget/. As we prepare for the legislature to return to Des Moines, I want you all to know that I view pay raises as the most important piece of our legislative budgetary request.
On September 1, 2022, the Iowa Judicial Branch’s Electronic Search Warrant Pilot Project expanded statewide. In 2017, the Iowa legislature amended Iowa Code chapter 808 to allow the transmission of an application for and issuance of a search warrant by electronic means. In April 2018, the Iowa State Court Administrator established an advisory committee with the goal of developing a new process for law enforcement and judicial officers to complete a search warrant application and issuance electronically. The committee made recommendations to implement the new process and the judicial branch began the pilot project in four rural counties in April 2020.
The 2023 legislative session begins on Monday, January 9. There will be a lot of new faces around the Capitol with 36 new representatives and seven new senators. That means 29% of the legislators will be new this year!
Follow this link for the FY24 Iowa Judicial Branch budget request letter from the State Court Administrator to the Iowa legislature leadership and a budget request overview.
The Iowa Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the beautifully restored Donna Reed theater in Denison, Iowa on October 25. It was the 32nd community the court has visited to hear oral arguments since May 2011. Community visits are an opportunity for more Iowans to see firsthand how the justice system and the rule of law operate to settle disputes and ensure the rights of all Iowans are fairly and impartially protected.
The Iowa Judicial Branch was honored to welcome the Kenyan Judicial Service Commission on November 21, 2022 to our building. The Iowa Judicial Branch Building was one of the many stops the commission made during their two-week trip in Iowa, where they split time between Iowa City and Des Moines.