Electronic Filing
As of June 30, 2015, every county district court in the State of Iowa is accepting electronic filing for all matters. More information on this is available here.
The Right to an Attorney.
Since the case of Miranda v Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miranda_v._Arizona), law enforcement has been required to advise suspects who are "in custody" of their rights to remain silent and to an attorney. If law enforcement fails to do so, at least in theory, any statements made may be suppressed. See generally, Mapp v Ohio, 367 U.S. 643 (1961 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mapp_v_ohio).
The first issue is whether the person is "in custody." A person is "in custody" as measured by an objective standard of whether a "reasonable person would have felt free to leave." I
If a suspect is being questioned by police, in order to invoke the right to remain silent and an Attorney, the suspect must unequivocally (clearly) state they want an Attorney or that they do not want to answer any questions until they have an Attorney. Merely saying, "I may need an Attorney" or "maybe I need an Attorney" or anthing similarly vague and unclear will not suffice.