Iowa Courts Online: How do I—and others—check on the progress of my criminal case?

The Iowa Courts Online Website is a valuable resource for lawyers and the public-- it is also the official electronic record of all judicial activity in the State of Iowa, called the electronic "docket." It is available at https://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/

In Iowa, there is an electronic docket sheet that describes items in the court file. A docket is an official log of pleadings in the court file. The docket “has independent legal significance and is the ‘source’ of other things, such as the record on appeal.”

Judicial Branch & State Court Adm'r v. Iowa Dist. Court for Linn County, 800 N.W.2d 569, 577 (Iowa 2011)It contains:

“the title and nature of the action, the place of hearing, appearances, and notations of the documents filed with the judicial officer, the proceedings in the case and orders made, the verdict and judgment including costs, any satisfaction of the judgment, whether the judgment was certified to the clerk of the district court, whether an appeal was taken, and the amount of any appeal bond.”

Iowa Dist. Court for Linn County, 800 N.W.2d at 574.

The Iowa Supreme Court has held that the electronic docket sheet is the official record of activity in a given criminal case. Id.

If you would like to search for a particular name or case on Iowa Courts Online, you may do so as a matter of public record at:

www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/

A couple of caveats apply. First, I frequently hear from former and potential clients that a “deferred judgment” has not be expunged from the official record during the pendency of probation. That is true. Deferred judgment grantees’ files are not immediately removed from Iowa Courts online. They must be “expunged” and the file sealed following the successful completion of probation. That makes sense—if the defendant is half-way through probation, they haven’t proven themselves worthy of expungement yet.

Secondly, I occasionally hear from former clients that the record “inaccurately” reflects that they were found guilty or pleaded guilty to a felony when, in fact, they benefitted from a plea deal to a lesser included or substituted misdemeanor. In reviewing Iowa Courts Online in these cases, I have never found that the record is incorrect. What I suspect is happening is that potential or current employers are reading the search results for a particular defendant. These results show that the defendant was originally charged with a felony but you have to go through a few more mouse clicks to learn that the ultimate disposition was a misdemeanor conviction. That’s because the number describing the case file will have a felony designation beginning with “FECR.”

Third, dismissals have a similar effect while deferred judgments are expunged. In the Iowa District Court for Linn County case above, 800 N.W.2d at 574, the Court held that dismissals do not warrant erasure of the record. Id. Employers and potential employers can easily see that a person was charged with a crime but they must dig deeper to learn that the case was ultimately dismissed or resulted in an acquittal.

In the final analysis, Iowa Courts Online is a valuable tool that lawyers use everyday. If a defendant learns to use it, they can stay on top of their case and also save money calling up their lawyer to ask when court dates will be in the future.

A blog is not legal advice. No attorney-client relationship is established by reading a blog or sending unsolicited information to an attorney over the Internet.