DES MOINES – The Iowa Judicial Branch is joining the Iowa Department of Education and The Iowa State Bar Association to present a Constitution Day program for Iowa high school students on Wednesday, September 17. The program includes an online orientation video that social studies students in classrooms across the state will be encouraged to watch before live streaming the Iowa Supreme Court oral arguments that begin at 9 a.m. September 17.
“The Iowa Supreme Court is excited to work with the Department of Education and the bar association to bring the Constitution to life for Iowa students,” Chief Justice Cady said. “Civics education is a critical component for preserving our constitutional democracy for future generations. We hope this program will build upon what the students have learned in school and lead to a common understanding of the role of the court system.”
The nine-minute orientation video, entitled “We the People: The Iowa Constitution and Our Courts,” begins with Chief Justice Mark Cady addressing the importance of the Iowa Constitution and how the courts use the document to resolve disputes between Iowans. Then, Justice Daryl Hecht explains how a person can appeal a case to the supreme court and what happens during oral arguments. The video is available on the Iowa Judicial Branch website at www.iowacourts.gov/About_the_Courts/Supreme_Court/Constitution_Day
“It is so important for our young people to recognize the significance of the Constitution in our nation’s history,” Iowa Department of Education Director Dr. Brad Buck said. “Constitution Day activities, including our student-centered partnership with the Iowa Supreme Court, keep a positive focus on that monumental time and remind us all of how we learn valuable lessons from history.”
The first two arguments scheduled for September 17 involve cases of constitutional issues for the court to decide. Chief Justice Mark Cady will open the oral arguments with a welcome to the students, and a few words about Constitution Day. Students from Des Moines Hoover High School and Des Moines Central Academy will be in the supreme court courtroom to watch the arguments in person.
The court will hear two cases Wednesday morning, September 17 beginning at 9:00 a.m.
State of Iowa vs. Carrie McIver
On appeal from her conviction for operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated (OWI), first offense, Carrie McIver contends the district court erred in denying her motion to suppress because: 1) there was not probable cause or reasonable suspicion to support the stop of her vehicle; and 2) the deputy possessed reasonable grounds to believe the Carrie McIver may have been impaired by a combination of alcohol and prescription drugs and he violated the implied consent statute by failing to request a blood or urine test.
State of Iowa vs. David Hellstern
David Hellstern appeals from his conviction of operating while intoxicated (first offense). He contends the court should have granted his motion to suppress evidence from the chemical breath test on two grounds: (1) the arresting officer was required, and failed, to advise him of his right to a confidential consultation with counsel under Iowa Code section 804.20 after the officer denied his request for privacy during his phone call with counsel; and (2) the officer denied his right to a private and privileged consultation with counsel under article 1 section 10 of the Iowa Constitution.
Constitution Day recognizes the ratification of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787. In 1911, the State of Iowa was the first state to celebrate Constitution Day. In 2004, legislation established the Federal observance of Constitution Day.
This year also, marks the 175th anniversary of the Iowa Supreme Court’s first decision, a ruling that no person in the Iowa Territory could be reduced to slavery. The court issued In the Matter of Ralph before Abraham Lincoln was elected President, before the Civil War began, and more than 25 years before the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which made slavery illegal in the United States.
To recognize the anniversary, the Iowa Judicial Branch website includes background information about the case; the court’s decision; information about the first Supreme Court of the Territory of Iowa; biographies of the first justices; information about David Rorer, the attorney for Ralph; and a description of “Shattering Silence,” the monument on the Iowa Judicial Branch Building grounds honoring the Ralph decision. Also in the special section of the website are two law review articles by Chief Justice Mark Cady in which he discusses the “pioneering tradition” of Iowa’s constitutional recognition of civil rights and civil liberties and the Iowa Supreme Court’s leading position on the historical “arc of justice.” The information is on the Judicial Branch website at http://www.iowacourts.gov/For_the_Public/Court_Structure/Iowa_Courts_History/In_the_Matter_of_Ralph/
There is also a new display on the first floor of the Iowa Judicial Branch Building recognizing In the Matter of Ralphand three other early, groundbreaking Iowa Supreme Court civil rights cases involving important constitutional issues.
