Rule 6.305 State as amicus curiae

If a court case questions whether a law passed by the Iowa legislature is constitutional, and the state isn't already involved in that case, the attorney general has the right to step in and file a special brief. This brief is called an "amicus curiae" brief, which is a Latin term meaning "friend of the court."

This rule only applies to certification proceedings, which are a specific type of case where a court asks Iowa's Supreme Court to weigh in on a legal question. The attorney general's brief lets the state share its views on whether the law in question is constitutional, even though the state isn't officially a party in the lawsuit. The process for filing this brief follows the rules laid out in rule 6.906.

Basically, this rule makes sure Iowa's government has a voice in cases that could affect its laws, even when it wasn't originally part of the lawsuit.