State Public Defender v. Iowa District Court for Polk County

TERNUS, Justice.

The plaintiff, state public defender, challenges a district court order that required the state public defender to pay the fees of attorneys appointed as guardians ad litem for parents in several child-in-need-of-assistance (CIÑA) and termination-of-parental-rights (TPR) cases. He claims the statutes specifying costs payable from the indigent defense fund administered by his office do not authorize the use of this fund to compensate attorneys appointed as guardians ad litem for indigent parents in juvenile proceedings. The guardians ad litem, advocating on behalf of the…