Maghee v. State

CARTER, Justice.

We have consolidated an appeal and an original certiorari action, each raising the same issue. That issue is whether prison inmates challenging disciplinary action reducing good time pursuant to Iowa Code section 822.2(6) (1999) are entitled to counsel at state expense. In each of the two cases before us, the district court ruled that (1) a 1998 amendment to Iowa Code section 822.5 abrogated any statutory right to counsel at state expense in this type of litigation, and (2) no constitutional right to publicly compensated counsel exists in litigation challenging prison…