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A recent update from the West Des Moines Police department outlined one of Iowa's most high profile cold cases in recent times ... and the search for justice for Ashley Okland and her family continues to this day. 

Since Marsy's Law for Iowa was created, we have honored National Crime Victims' Rights Week. 

While things certainly look different for our interns this year because of COVID, we have been thankful for their help. We wanted to take a minute and introduce you to Kylie and Emily. 

Opponents of victims’ rights love to claim that giving a victim the right to participate in the criminal justice process will somehow violate a defendant’s constitutional rights to due process and confrontation found in the 6^th Amendment of the US Constitution. The argument is compelling, because it seems simple on its face to anyone with a general understanding of constitutional rights, but the interpretation of the 6^th Amendment is not that simple. As a member of the Bill of Rights, the 6^th Amendment has been around since the ratification of our constitution, making it ripe for over 230 years of judicial interpretation. It has undergone intense judicial review, which has concluded indisputably that the 6^th Amendment rights to due process and confrontation are not without restriction. Defendants’ rights are not absolute, they must be balanced with the rights held by all parties and participants in court. It is the literal reason we have an existing appellate court system in this country – to determine the proper balance of rights.

February is Black History Month and we want to talk about exactly how Iowa can do better for its Black citizens.