Opinion ID: 1835323
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Heading: Review of Referee's DecisionJuvenile Court.

Text: Here, judge William E. Adams found his review of the juvenile referee's findings was for the correction of errors of law, not de novo. The court reached this conclusion upon its interpretation of Iowa Code section 602.7103. The court also found the decision reached by the referee was supported by substantial evidence. D.L.C. urges the juvenile court should review the referee's decision de novo and that the State must prove its allegation of sexual abuse by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. We agree. Under prior law, parties to a juvenile court proceeding could request a rehearing before a juvenile judge following a delinquency adjudication based on a referee's findings of fact. Iowa Code § 231.3 (1983). We held the rehearing was a rehearing on the record made before the referee. In re Dugan, 334 N.W.2d 300, 303 (Iowa 1983). Chapter 231 was repealed in 1983, and the provisions relating to juvenile referees now are contained in Iowa Code section 602.7103. This section provides in part: