The Iowa Appeals Process Explained | Iowa Civil Litigation

Article written by Illinois & Iowa Attorney Kevin O’Flaherty

In this article, we will review the Iowa appeals process. We will discuss what types of court orders can be appealed, how the Iowa appeal process works, deadlines for filing an appeal and any associated paperwork, what happens after the appeal is filed, what actions the appeals court can take after hearing a case, and what happens if you lose an appeal. We’ll begin with a short overview of how the appeals process works in Illinois.

How Does the Appeals Process Work In Iowa?

In Iowa, all cases are initially heard by the district trial courts. During these hearings, both sides will present evidence and written and oral arguments. Depending on the specifics of the case (criminal vs divorce vs child custody) a jury may be present or it will be a bench trial, meaning the judge makes all the decisions a jury would.

At the conclusion of the trial court hearing and after final judgment has been rendered, or after a certain order or motion has been entered by the trial court judge, the parties can seek to appeal to the Iowa appellate court to have the judges order reversed. In Iowa, all appeals go straight to the Iowa Supreme Court which then decides which cases it will hear and which cases…