IA Supreme Court upholds gun restrictions in domestic violence, drug cases

(DES MOINES, IA) -- Two Iowa laws that restrict firearm access have narrowly survived challenges before the Iowa Supreme Court.

In its final decisions of the 2024-25 term, the court, in a 4-3 decision, upheld a law that criminalizes carrying a weapon while being subject to a domestic violence protective order. Writing for the majority, Justice Thomas Waterman found that the defendant had waived his constitutional argument when he originally agreed to the protective order.

In a separate 4-3 decision, the court upheld another law that forbids carrying a firearm while in possession of illegal drugs. Justice Christopher McDonald wrote for the plurality that the Second Amendment only protects the right to bear arms when engaged in "lawful" conduct.

Dissenting justices in both cases argued that the laws violated the defendants' rights.