Mary Kathryn C. Wallace v. Kristin W. Wildensee

Summary

The court affirmed the denial of a requested qualified domestic relations order because Iowa law does not authorize such an order as an independent proceeding outside a divorce or separate-maintenance action. The court reached the merits despite potential mootness because the issue was publicly important, likely to recur, and likely to evade review. It also held that conditioning domestic relations orders on divorce or separate maintenance does not violate equal protection.