Hunter
04/29/26
A judge presiding over lawsuits to block the closure of the State Historical Society’s Iowa City location has upheld a temporary injunction halting document removal until the cases are resolved.
The Gazette reports Judge Andrew Chappell wrote in his opinion that different judges may reach different conclusions based on the same legal arguments, but doesn’t encourage litigants to appeal just because they believe a judge ruled incorrectly. He said that’s why appellate courts review judges’ decisions.
State officials announced last summer they were closing the 168-year-old Historical Society research facility in Iowa City and began removing materials in the fall. A group of concerned citizens filed suit, saying the closure breaks a clause in Iowa code saying the state maintain research centers in Des Moines and Iowa City. The suit asked for an injunction to stop removal of materials, which they claim was done in a haphazard manner.
Earlier this month, the state asked the court to dissolve the injunction and impose a $250,000 bond to cover the costs associated with the delayed closure of the Iowa City location.
A judge granted the injunction and Chappell ruled that it hold until the June 19th deadline for attorneys to file all briefs and arguments with the court. He agreed that there will be continuing costs in maintaining the Iowa City facility, but he called those expenses “indisputably government functions.”