A federal judge has dismissed Stephen Swanson and Mikayla Simpson Garside from the case in the lawsuit filed by Heather Stancil and Matthew Schwarz. The ruling, issued March 9, 2026 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, found that the complaint did not sufficiently allege that Swanson or Simpson were personally involved in the alleged constitutional violations tied to the search warrants at the center of the dispute, resulting in their dismissal from the case without a determination on the underlying allegations.  However, the case will continue against Madison County Sheriff Jason Barnes and Donald Kinney. The lawsuit stems from events described in a previous article published December 1, 2025: “When Local Politics Boil Over.”

Both Simpson and Swanson contacted The Madison Report following the ruling to inquire about an update article. In Simpson’s email, she stated, “I have maintained confidence the court system would exonerate the county and defendants. Frivolous lawsuits designed to weaponize our judicial system and silence public servants have no place in Iowa. I am thankful the courts recognized that in their decision today, and look forward to similar resolutions for the remaining defendants in the future.” In County Attorney Stephen Swanson’s inquiry about an article by The Madison Report, he declined to provide a statement for publication, noting that he considers us “not the press.”   We reached out to Stancil and Schwarz who declined comment and Barnes and Kinney who did not respond to our request for comment.