Law Museum of Iowa

The mission of the Law Museum of Iowa, housed within the privately owned two-thousand square foot courtroom at the Law Group of Iowa, is to educate and motivate all who enter its doors about the American legal system and the constitutionally protected right to trial by jury. The history of, and changes to, the American legal system is illustrated through varied legal documents and courthouse memorabilia, some of which pre-date the founding of America. Many different states (and countries!) and represented, however, many of the finest pieces in the museum are native to Iowa. Visitors to the Law Museum of Iowa will learn how juries are selected, how they deliberate, and how a verdict is rendered. Whether a guest spins the jury wheel, pokes away at a stenography machine, sits behind the judge's bench and hammers a gavel, or even takes a seat in one of the original juror chairs, it is believed that by this experience, the importance of trial by jury, as guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, will become relevant to attendees. Other exhibits at the Law Museum of Iowa include 'Justice Around the World' in which courts from around the world are exhibited as well as 'Law in Advertising' which features antique advertisements in which the legal system is prominently used.