Hearing words, rights, and what not to do

Words that protect you

• “Your Honor, I request a court-appointed lawyer. I cannot afford one.”
• “I invoke my right to remain silent about the facts until I have a lawyer.”
• “I plead not guilty.”
• “I request more time so I can speak with a lawyer.”
• “I am invoking Iowa Code 804.20. I want to call a lawyer and a family member.”
• “I have a lawyer / I have applied for a lawyer. I ask that this hearing wait until counsel is present.”

Rights printed on a typical Iowa citation

• Silence. You do not have to make a statement. Fifth Amendment; Iowa Const. art. I, § 9.
• Counsel. You may hire a lawyer. If you cannot afford one and jail is possible, ask the judge to appoint one.
• Speedy & public trial. Sixth Amendment. Iowa also has Rule 2.33 clocks. Do not waive without counsel.
• Jury. For jailable offenses, you may have a jury decide guilt.
• Confrontation. You may confront the witnesses against you.
• Compulsory process. You may require witnesses to appear.
• No self-incrimination. You need not testify. The State still has to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

• U.S. Const. amend. VU.S. Const. amend. V

  Pin to a hypothesis
• U.S. Const. amend. VIU.S. Const. amend. VI

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• U.S. Const. amend. XIVU.S. Const. amend. XIV

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• Iowa Const. art. I, § 9Iowa Const. art. I, § 9 · 2026 text

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• Iowa Const. art. I, § 10Iowa Const. art. I, § 10 · 2026 text

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• Iowa Code § 804.20 — Calls to family and an attorneyIowa Code § 804.20 · 2026 text

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• Iowa Code ch. 815 — Indigent defenseIowa Code ch. 815 · 2026 text

  Pin to a hypothesis

Bring / have ready

• Photo ID, every paper the court or police gave you, and a pen.
• Proof of address, pay stubs or benefit letters — needed for the financial affidavit.
• A written list of medications and of people who can verify jobs, housing, or treatment.
• Arrive 30 minutes early. Silence the phone. Dress like a work meeting.

Do not do these

• Do not talk about the facts with police, the prosecutor, cellmates, or on jail phones / tablets.
• Do not post about the case, the alleged victim, or the officer on social media.
• Do not miss court. A voicemail is not a continuance.
• Do not sign a plea, waiver of counsel, or search-consent form you do not understand.
• Do not contact the State’s witnesses or a protected person.
• Do not ignore a no-contact, no-drive, testing, or travel condition.
• Do not treat this page, a clerk, or a court navigator as the lawyer.

Caption reminder

In State of Iowa v. [Name], the State is the plaintiff. The accused person is the defendant. Mixing those labels is a common self-help bug.