The Iowa Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in the case State of Iowa v. Faron Alan Starr during a special evening session in Des Moines, Monday, February 19, at 7:00 p.m. in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building, 1111 East Court Avenue.
The evening session is open to the public and provides an opportunity for Iowa residents, who may not be able to attend the court's regular morning and afternoon sessions, to watch the court conduct oral arguments in person. The Polk County Bar Association will sponsor a public reception with the supreme court justices in the Judicial Branch Building second-floor Light Court following the oral arguments.
Summary of the case, State of Iowa v. Faron Alan Starr, case no. 23-0858, from Woodbury County District Court:
Iowa Code section 804.20 provides that a person taken into custody by law enforcement is permitted “without unnecessary delay” to contact a family member or attorney or both. In this appeal, the State argues that the supreme court should clarify that a “public safety” exception permits a “necessary delay” in allowing this contact, and that in this case the possibility of firearms abandoned in a residential area near schools and a park warranted a public safety exception. Starr argues the district court correctly suppressed all evidence obtained against him from the State’s violations of his rights under section 804.20.
Attorneys' briefs for the case are posted here on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.
Proceedings will be streamed live on the Iowa Judicial Branch YouTube channel.
For more information, visit the Iowa Supreme Court page on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.
Note to Editors: Members of the news media are invited to attend the oral arguments. Court rules apply regarding still cameras, video cameras, audio recording devices, and other electronic devices used in the courtroom during the oral arguments. Information on expanded media coverage is available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.
The rules regarding cameras and other electronic devices in courtrooms are in Chapter 25 of the Iowa Court Rules (PDF). Answers to frequently asked questions about appellate court news media coverage are on the Iowa Judicial Branch website.