Iowa Supreme Court says homeowners can be drunk on their front porches

front porch
(Image credit: iStock)

Just in case you were wondering: In Iowa, it's okay to be drunk on your own front porch.

The state's Supreme Court ruled in favor of Patience Paye on Friday, overturning the Iowa woman's 2013 public intoxication conviction, which she received after meeting police officers on her front porch. The Associated Press reports that Paye had called police about a domestic assault complaint, but that she was also subjected to a breathalyzer test when they arrived, which she failed. Officers charged Paye with public intoxication, but she appealed the conviction, saying her front porch was not public property.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.