Iowa Appeals Court Hearing
Student Center - Viking Theatre | 2811 East 14th St. Des Moines
The Iowa Court of Appeals will be holding oral arguments on the Grand View campus February 21 at 1:30 p.m. in the Student Center's Viking Theatre hosted by GVU's Criminal Justice program. The court will hear two cases approximately 30 minutes each and take questions from the audience afterwards. The hearings are open to the public and the court encourages people to attend.
The court will hear attorneys argue the cases of State v. Lee Christensen, an Emmet County case, and Helmers v. City of Des Moines, a Polk County case.
| 17-0085 State v. Christensen |
Lee Samuel Christensen appeals from his conviction for second-degree murder, claiming he should be granted a new trial based upon juror misconduct and jury bias. He asserts social media posts affected the jury’s deliberations. He also contends the prosecutor improperly questioned a witness and the court’s curative jury instruction was not sufficient to purge the prejudicial effect of the testimony.
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| 17-0794 Helmers v. City of Des Moines |
| Dianna Helmers challenges the City of Des Moines’ seizure and confinement of Pinky, a seven-year-old mixed-breed dog, and declaration that Pinky is dangerous. She contends the city’s animal ordinances violate due process. |
For more information about the Iowa Court of Appeals and the Iowa court system, visit the The Iowa Judicial Website.