The League of Iowa Human & Civil Rights Agencies

The ouster of three judges in Iowa's normally low-key judicial elections marks another battle in the national fight over same-sex marriage and raises fresh concerns over the politicization of judicial elections. Opponents of same-sex marriage had targeted the judges in an intense campaign to boot them off the state Supreme Court because of a unanimous ruling last year that legalized same-sex unions.

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(Des Moines, IA) --- The 5th Annual Iowa Youth Congress will be held Friday, November 12, 2010, 9a-4p, in the House Chamber at the Iowa State Capitol. The Iowa Youth Congress (IYC) is a civic leadership development opportunity for Iowa high school students, administered by the Iowa Department of Human Rights (DHR), with a special emphasis on the recruitment of students of color and students with disabilities. The event was created and is presented by DHR’s Office of Latino Affairs.

Laurens, IA. - Federal prosecutors say the government has settled a complaint with the city of Laurens in northwestern Iowa stemming from the Americans with Disabilities Act. The U.S. attorney’s office said Friday that Laurens has installed more than 200 curb cuts to ensure people with physical disabilities can safely access sidewalks. The city was accused in October 2003 of not letting a disabled teenager and others who use motorized wheelchairs operate them on city streets.

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HUD CHARGES IOWA LANDLORDS WITH SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN TENANTS

Property manager engaged in sex-for-rent harassment

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that it is charging Waterloo, Iowa, apartment complex Elders, Inc., employee Michael Nieman, and J.S. Property Management L.C. with housing discrimination for allegedly harassing female tenants through repeated unwanted sexual ...

A state judge has granted class-action status to a lawsuit in which Iowa is accused of discriminating against black state workers and applicants. The plaintiffs and the state both sought class-action certification.

In an order issued September 29, Judge Robert J. Blink ruled that the lawsuit brought by 32 current or former black state employees qualifies as a class action. “The court finds that joint or common interest exists among members of this class, that common q...

JUDGE ORDERS IOWA LANDLORD TO PAY $52,150 TO RESOLVE HOUSING DISCRIMINATION CASE

Landlord attempted to evict single mother for filing fair housing complaint

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced that a HUD Administrative Law Judge has ordered an Iowa landlord to pay $52,150 in damages and civil penalties for retaliating against a single mother of three by threatening to evict her b...

Branstad: Immigrants should have to prove status

CLARINDA, Iowa (AP) -- Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad says people in Iowa stopped on traffic violations should have to prove their citizenship status.

Branstad made the assertion during a visit Wednesday to Clarinda. He said if a per...

Prevent crimes by the mentally ill with a federal Ed Thomas Act, Bruce Braley says

Federal lawmakers should pass a version of Iowa’s “Ed Thomas Act,” which gives law enforcement officials new ways to ensure they’ll be informed when mental hea...

Workforce Development Releases Survey on Unemployed

by Dar Danielson on July 1, 2010 in Business & Economy, Politics & Government (Radio Iowa)

A survey of unemployed Iowans by the state agency in charge of helping them find new jobs finds many have been out of a job for longer then ave...

Crimes distort reality of schizophrenia

By Tony Leys, Des Moines Register

March 7, 2010

Cedar Rapids, Ia. - A newspaper lying in Steve Miller's kitchen blared the latest front-page news about a person with schizophrenia. The big black headline announced: "Becker guilty." The paper showed a picture of a stone-faced Mark Becker, the ...