There are 309 Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, 63 Rules of Evidence, and 89 Rules of Criminal Procedure. Iowa’s judicial system has been made far too complex for the average Citizen to be able to figure out how to use. We should feel comfortable in our courts – not intimidated. The rules need to be simplified so that Citizens can access the courts. As Governor, I will work to turn the Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, Iowa Rules of Evidence, and Iowa Rules of Criminal Procedure into simple, step-by-step procedures anyone can follow. Templates for petitions, motions, and other essential types of court documents will be uploaded onto a self-help website for Citizens who need to access the courts and cannot afford an attorney.
“Abraham Lincoln once said, “The people of these United States are the rightful masters of both congresses and courts, not to overthrow the Constitution, but to over-throw the men who pervert that Constitution.” My question is, ” How can we be the “rightful masters” when the courts have been made so complex that average Citizens can’t figure out how to access them?
Simplifies the obscenely-complex 309 Iowa Rules of Civil Procedure, 63 Rules of Evidence, and 89 Rules of Criminal Procedure into step-by-step instructions that make navigating the courts much simpler for Iowans. This is already in the process, as Sondra began organizing the Rules of Civil Procedure into “Pre-Trial”, “During Trial”, and “Post-Trial” rules within this Google Doc folder which is open to the public: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ZpEnOZYImPQ0mLg0YajiQehfYYndGInY?usp=drive_link.