The Iowa Supreme Court is set to hear oral arguments in the case Richmond v. Jefferson County Attorney during a special evening session in Des Moines on Wednesday, February 11, at 7:00 p.m. The session will take place in the Supreme Court Courtroom on the fourth floor of the Judicial Branch Building at 1111 East Court Avenue.
This evening session is open to the public and aims to give residents who cannot attend regular court hours an opportunity to observe oral arguments. After the hearing, the Polk County Bar Association will host a public reception with supreme court justices in the building’s second-floor Light Court.
The case involves Sheriff Bart Richmond, whose name was placed by the Jefferson County Attorney on a Brady-Giglio list. This list includes law enforcement officers whose actions might call their honesty into question under Iowa Code section 80F.1(1)(a). Sheriff Richmond asked for judicial review, and the district court ordered his name removed from the list. The county attorney appealed this decision, arguing that prosecutors are required to disclose information that could affect a witness’s credibility and questioning whether recent changes in law—specifically a 2024 statutory amendment giving courts authority to remove names from such lists—are constitutional.
Briefs filed by attorneys involved in this case can be accessed through the Iowa Judicial Branch website. Proceedings will also be available via livestream on the Iowa Judicial Branch YouTube channel.
Further details about attending or covering these oral arguments are available on the Iowa Supreme Court page of the Iowa Judicial Branch website. Media representatives are reminded that court rules apply regarding cameras and electronic devices during proceedings; guidelines for media coverage can be found on the same site, including Chapter 25 of the Iowa Court Rules (PDF) and answers to frequently asked questions about appellate court news media coverage.
