Opinion ID: 2219129
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Preservation of Error and Mootness.

Text: The State contends that Briggs failed to preserve error on her constitutional claims and that her conviction for prostitution based on the minutes of testimony in her case made her claims moot and no longer justiciable before this court. We agree with the State in part on one of these issues. In her motion for bond review in the district court, Briggs alleged the imposition of cash only bail impingedon a constitutional right derived from the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. On appeal, she alleges a violation arising out of the excessive bail clause of the Eighth Amendment. See U.S. Const. amend. 8. The State argues Briggs failed to cite the Eighth Amendment in presenting her initial arguments in the district court, and this failure constituted a waiver of any such claim on appeal. We agree. Several principles can be stated in relation to the Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments. See Willson v. City of Des Moines, 386 N.W.2d 76, 80 (Iowa 1986) (quoting Daniels v. Williams, 474 U.S. 327, 337, 106 S.Ct. 662, 677-78, 88 L.Ed.2d 662, 672 (1986) (Stevens, J., concurring)). The Fourteenth Amendment, of course, is the gateway through which the guarantees of most of the provisions of the Bill of Rights are made applicable to the actions of individual states and state actors. See id. Thus, the provisions of the Eighth Amendmentas portions of the Bill of Rightscould potentially apply to this controversy via the guarantees of the Fourteenth Amendment. See id. Of course, the Fourteenth Amendment has other applications, including the extension of due process rights to all citizens. See id. In some fashion, each of these principles may be applicable to Briggs' constitutional claim, and may have influenced the method by which her claim was put before the district court. Yet, as a result of the method by which her claim was actually presented, it is impossible to say precisely what federal constitutional claim Briggs presented to the district court and whether that same claim is being reasserted on appeal. The clearest indicator of this confusion is Briggs' failure to mention the Eighth Amendment in the district court (although mentioning the Fourteenth Amendment) while premising her federal constitutional claim on the Eighth Amendment (without discussing the Fourteenth Amendment) on appeal. We could infer that Briggs attempted to argue an excessive bail claim arising from the Eighth Amendment as incorporated by the Fourteenth Amendment in the district court, yet this is far from clear given the limited argument on this issue. We could also just as easily conclude that her initial allegation of a violation arising from the Fourteenth Amendment was premised on due process guarantees. [1] Yet, such a claim is far different than arguingas she does on appeala violation of the Eighth Amendment. In short, we believe this confusion is indicative of the failure to properly preserve error on a claimed violation of a federal constitutional right relating to cash only bail. Thus, we agree with the State that Briggs has failed to preserve error on this portion of her claim. On the other hand, we do believe she preserved error on her state constitutional claims. A more intriguing question, however, is whether this controversy is moot and no longer justiciable in light of Briggs' waiver and stipulation and the district court's determination of her guilt. As a rule, we do not decide appeals in which the issue becomes nonexistent or academic and, consequently, no longer involves a justiciable controversy. State v. Hernandez-Lopez, 639 N.W.2d 226, 234 (Iowa 2002). However, an exception to this rule exists for those cases presenting issues of broad public importance likely to recur. Id. Briggs' arguments based on the propriety of her bail became moot after she waived her jury trial and was found guilty. Any decision we issue relating to cash only bail will have no further effect on her at this point in time. To determine whether her claim should still be considered, we look to four factors: (1) the private or public nature of the issue; (2) the desirability of an authoritative adjudication to guide public officials in their future conduct; (3) the likelihood of the recurrence of the issue; and (4) the likelihood the issue will recur yet evade appellate review. Id. After considering these factors, we conclude that we should entertain this controversy despite it being moot. Questions resting on the nature and propriety of cash only bail are of a pressing public interest. The imposition of cash only bail is a regular occurrence in our district courts. The constitutional implications of this form of bail are of great relevance for members of the public, the bar, and the judiciary. The need to provide guidance on this issue is manifest. Moreover, in the absence of authoritative guidance, it is highly likely this issue will recur, potentially resulting in varied and inconsistent interpretations of important constitutional provisions. Finally, although it is conceivable that this issue could reach us under circumstances that would not involve a moot controversy, we believe this issue is highly likely to recur yet evade our review. For all of these reasons, we believe this is one of the exceptional circumstances in which our review is proper even in light of the mootness of the underlying controversy. We turn now to our consideration of the core issue presented by this appeal.