Category Archives: Criminal Justice

One of the primary issues in which Fawkes-Lee and Ryan are involved.

Not even close

Posted on February 8, 2025 by Marty Ryan

I was reading a book entitled Unidentified Woman #15 by David Housewright [First Down and Out Books June 2020 – Copyright @ 2015].  The featured character, Roosevelt McKenzie, ponders the fact that a Minneapolis Star-Tribune “article dealt more with the … Continue reading →

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Home Safety

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Stephanie Fawkes-Lee

A young Des Moines police officer who was helping us with a racoon issue hadn’t yet been indoctrinated into how to handle the perception of crime in our neighborhood. He asked us point blank, “Do you hear gun fire at … Continue reading →

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Nailed It

Posted on March 20, 2023 by Marty Ryan

Al Johanson stormed into Leonard Bartson’s law office and shouted, “I need to sue my neighbor!” “Calm down, Al, calm down,” Bartson gently replied with his hands held up. It was a warm spring day in 1885. The doors and … Continue reading →

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Pigs, Poker, and Prisons

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Marty Ryan

Rev. Carlos Jayne, 1935-2022 RIP As he lived, he died – fighting authority! Legendary NFL Coach Bill Parcells said that “A friend’s someone that knows all about you and likes you anyway.” Carlos and I liked each other, even though … Continue reading →

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Flag Desecration and The Iowa Code

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Marty Ryan

This is my favorite unconstitutional statute in the Iowa Code.  The Iowa Supreme Court has never ruled on Iowa Code Section 718A, but the Federal District Court of the Southern District of Iowa has.  In Phelps v. Powers, 63 F.Supp.3d … Continue reading →

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Symbolic Law

Posted on July 8, 2020 by Marty Ryan

On Monday, June 29, Governor Kim Reynold (R-Iowa) signed into law Senate File 526, a bill “creating a blue alert program within the department of public safety for the apprehension of a person suspected of killing or seriously injuring a … Continue reading →

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