Conservative lawyer's lawsuit against Iowa law school set for trial

A trial has been scheduled for October in the case of a conservative lawyer who claims she was passed over for a job at the University of Iowa law school because of liberal bias.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Shields last week set an Oct. 15 trial date in Davenport for Teresa Wagner's discrimination lawsuit against former College of Law Dean Carolyn Jones. The trial is expected to last a week.

Wagner claims the school refused to hire her as an adjunct instructor in 2007 because of her conservative political views despite being qualified. She had worked for anti-abortion groups such as the National Right to Life Committee.

A judge had dismissed the case, but an appeals court ruled in December that jurors should decide whether Wagner was unfairly passed over.