Newsroom - Page 11

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced that Katie’s Law, a key bill in her 2026 Legislative Priorities, passed out of the Judiciary committee today in the Iowa House of Representatives in a bipartisan vote.   Katie’s Law has been enacted in some form in over 30 states and federally. The bill requires DNA collection from individuals arrested for felony or aggravated misdemeanor offenses....

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced she is leading a coalition of 16 states in a letter urging YouTube to treat conservative commentators fairly. That request reflects YouTube’s own testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2025 that it “takes seriously the importance of protecting free expression and access to a range of viewpoints” and will not censor conservative voices.   During Covid, the Biden Administration repeatedly reached out to YouTube to...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today her office has secured a conviction against Aaron Manz of Emmetsburg on eight counts of child sexual abuse in the second degree following a six-day jury trial in Palo Alto District Court. Manz was arrested on February 11, 2025, following an investigation.    The verdict was returned on February 11, 2026,...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced her Judicial Safety bill has unanimously passed out of both the Iowa House and Senate Judiciary committees.   The Judicial Safety Bill makes it a “C” felony — up to 10 years in prison — to make threats against judges and their immediate family members. The bill creates a serious misdemeanor charge...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced a win in a lawsuit defending the Iowa Secretary of State’s verification of citizenship on Iowa’s voter rolls in the lead up to the 2024 election.   Under President Biden, the Department of Homeland Security told Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate that Iowa had hundreds of noncitizens on our voter rolls, but they...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today her office secured a conviction against William Carl Hackley Jr. of Truro for sex abuse in the second degree. Hackley Jr. was convicted for the sexual abuse of a child under the age of 12 following a six-day trial in Madison County in December 2025. He was sentenced February 9, 2026. This is...

DES MOINES—In a report issued today, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office has concluded that the January 4, 2026, fatal shooting of Jai Ondrick Quin-Charles Lovely by Dubuque Police Officer Austin Manders was legally justified.  In the early morning hours of January 4, 2026, Officer Austin Manders of the Dubuque Police Department was on routine patrol on Locust Street...

DES MOINES—Today, Attorney General Brenna Bird released her formal opinion on county sheriff salaries in response to a formal opinion request by two county attorneys, Michael T. Wells, Ringgold County Attorney, and Alan Wilson, Wayne County Attorney.   In 2021, the Iowa Legislature enacted the Back the Blue Law, which says salaries for county sheriffs need to be compared to their counterparts in city police departments and state law enforcement agencies. In 2024, the...

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today her Judicial Safety bill has passed out of subcommittee in the Iowa Senate.   The Judicial Safety Bill makes it a “C” felony — up to 10 years in prison — to make threats against judges and their immediate family members. The bill creates a serious misdemeanor charge for doxxing judges or their immediate family....

DES MOINES—Attorney General Brenna Bird announced today she is leading a coalition of 19 attorneys general to ask the Trump administration to fix President Biden’s unworkable formaldehyde rule.   Formaldehyde ensures families have access to safe food and that farmers can protect livestock. It helps farmers defend their livestock by preventing outbreaks of bacteria, viruses, and diseases that may cause disastrous food shortages and economic losses. Under the...