Jacob Lee Schmidt v. State of Iowa

MANSFIELD, Justice (dissenting).

I respectfully dissent. Constitutional interpretation is not Darwinian evolution, and a decision of this court today is not superior to the decisions that preceded it just because it is more recent. Whether this court is on a "constitutional march to become better" should be determined by others, not by ourselves.

While it is tempting to agree that "[i]nnocent people should always have a forum to prove their innocence," the realities of any criminal justice system are more complex. Even the majority does not take this statement literally. For example, even the…