State v. Doe

The Supreme Court affirmed the ruling of the district court denying Jane Doe's motion to expunge her record, holding that the condition in Iowa Code 901C.2, the expungement statute, that an individual pay all court-imposed costs and fees does not violate the Equal Protection Clauses of the United States or Iowa Constitutions.Section 901C.2 creates a statutory right to expungement subject to several conditions. Doe was an indigent defendant who was denied expungement for failure to pay off her court-appointed attorney fees. On appeal, Defendant argued that the condition that she pay her court-appointed attorney fees violated her equal protection rights. The district court denied Doe's constitutional challenge and denied her motion to expunge her record. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the requirement to pay court costs, including court-appointed attorney fees, is rationally related to the government interest in collecting court debt. View "State v. Doe" on Justia Law