Welcome to First Impressions, a place for sharing your thought about legal news and issues in Indiana and beyond. I'm your host, Jennifer Nelson, Web editor for Indiana Lawyer. Just like in the courtroom, we encourage everyone to interact with civility.
Recent Blog Posts
A jet-set chief justice
August 7, 2008
Comments(0)From IL reporter Michael Hoskins: Every so often, you’ll see an Indiana Supreme Court order signed by an acting chief justice.
Some recent court orders have Justice Brent Dickson filling in for Chief Justice Randall Shepard. Nothing out of the ordinary,...
MoreNAACP to prep voters
August 7, 2008
Comments(0)The NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund is sending attorneys to 10 states before the fall election to address voting barriers,
according to the National Law Journal. Surprise, surprise, Indiana is one of those 10 states. I’d wager the NAACP’s interest...
MoreACLU always controversial
August 5, 2008
Comments(0)In an obituary for Indianapolis attorney Alan Nolan, I learned that he was one of the founders of the Indiana Civil Liberties
Union, now the ACLU of Indiana. According to law firm Ice Miller’s Web site, Nolan and attorney Merle Miller,...
MoreWhat’s the difference?
August 4, 2008
Comments(0)This post comes from IL reporter Michael Hoskins: On one hand, the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana argues against
blanket, government-imposed rules restricting where sex offenders can live and places those registered individuals can visit.
But when a private homeowners...
MoreDoes duty stop at door?
August 1, 2008
Comments(0)The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer yesterday to a case that will have implications on a hospital’s duty to protect
its patients from suspected abusers. Indiana Lawyer Daily wrote about the case in March when the majority of the Indiana Court...
MoreJurisdiction not camera shy
July 31, 2008
Comments(0)Indianapolis documentary filmmaker Karen Grau’s request to film juvenile court proceedings in Lake County has been granted
by the Indiana Supreme Court. Grau is no stranger to Indiana’s juvenile courts, as she has already worked on several documentaries
with Lake Juvenile...
MoreCourt holds up settlement
July 30, 2008
Comments(0)Even though the parties involved in litigation of a wrongful imprisonment suit want to settle after a jury already announced
its award, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a request to throw out the jury award to clear the way...
MoreThe legal system and media
July 29, 2008
Comments(0)From Indiana Lawyer reporter Michael Hoskins, who is in Reno attending a conference at the National Judicial College: Courts
and media can sometimes collide, but there’s a plethora of reasons for both to get along. This is the topic of...
MoreCourthouse attorney lounge
July 28, 2008
Comments(0)After a decade-long absence, attorneys visiting the Birch Bayh Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Indianapolis have a
quiet place to prepare for court. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, Indianapolis Division, announced
today it has opened...
MoreAG saves taxpayer money
July 25, 2008
Comments(0)For the second time in a month, the Indiana Attorney General’s office has decided not to appeal court decisions that didn’t
come out in its favor regarding new laws. Earlier this month, the office announced it wouldn’t appeal U.S. District Judge...
MoreLetters from jail
July 24, 2008
Comments(0)If there’s ample evidence you wrote threatening letters to the president of the United States and chief justice of Canada,
and you happened to include a white, powdery substance that could be mistaken for anthrax, then don’t try to appeal your...
MoreNeed for non-violent orders?
July 23, 2008
Comments(0)On Tuesday, tragedy struck in Indianapolis when a man allegedly murdered two people – his ex-wife and her boyfriend – and
then reportedly turned the gun on himself. The man had a history of violence, according to police and news reports,...
MoreAnother judge in trouble
July 22, 2008
Comment(1)Allen Circuit Court Judge Thomas Felts was arrested for suspicion of drunk driving while in Indianapolis last Friday. Judge
Felts told Indiana Lawyer he regrets what’s happened. Judges getting arrested and breaking the law isn’t anything new. Judges
are human, just...
MoreJournalistic shielding
July 18, 2008
Comments(0)Both of Indiana’s senators are pushing for passage of a federal shield law. Sen. Dick Lugar, a Republican, talked this week
about making that happen soon and as recently as last week Senate leadership noted this may come up yet in...
MoreEnd the death penalty?
July 17, 2008
Comments(0)More than a year ago, a team of law professors, scholars, lawyers, and judges let loose a report recommending a halt to the
death penalty in Indiana. That assessment came on behalf of the American Bar Association and was one of...
MoreToo much pressure?
July 16, 2008
Comments(0)We see them as the authority behind the bench, applying the law and dispensing justice on a daily basis. But what happens
when a judge crosses the line – criminal conduct or not – and allows work or personal pressure to...
MoreStalking interpretations
July 15, 2008
Comments(0)Is standing on a public street, staring at someone’s house considered taboo and possibly enough for a felony stalking charge?
Does the answer change if it happens more than once, say four times, and that the person being watched feels...
MoreWhat of Indiana\'s reputation?
July 15, 2008
Comments(0)It seems Indiana’s legal community has a good reputation out there. Studies appear to come out regularly assessing some aspect
of Indiana’s legal system: Our litigation climate, ethics of the judiciary and legal community, and so on. But off-the-cuff,
what are...
MoreLegal help from Oprah
July 14, 2008
Comments(0)Oprah Winfrey wants to offer you legal help. The catch: Your case will be documented in her magazine for the world to see.
I came across a link on CNN.com that leads to a promotional page from Winfrey’s magazine, “O, The...
MoreGamble leads to law suit
July 11, 2008
Comments(0)Jeff Frazer and three of his buddies took a chance at beating the odds and winning at a Hoosier Lottery scratch-off game,
Cash Blast. The top prize was $250,000. Believing the odds were in their favor, the four purchased at least...
MoreFun with opinions
July 10, 2008
Comments(0)Typically court opinions are straight to the point about the merits of the case, the application of laws, and why the judge
or judges decided to rule the way they did. That’s why it comes as a refreshing surprise when judges...
MoreSafety in the legal world
July 9, 2008
Comments(0)The recent abduction of an Anderson attorney by his client raised an issue I don’t see discussed much – the safety risks of
working in the legal field. Attorneys and judges work in a high-stress environment where court decisions can greatly...
MoreFirm diversity coordinators
July 8, 2008
Comments(0)Diversity. Law firms know it’s important yet sometimes hesitate to talk about or tackle it because the subject can be overwhelming.
Our sister publication, the Indianapolis Business Journal, has an article in its July 7-13 issue regarding diversity managers
and coordinators...
MoreBad cops, dropped charges
July 7, 2008
Comments(0)In Indianapolis, there have been five police officers arrested for breaking the law in recent weeks - three narcotics detectives
and two patrol officers. As a result of narcotics detectives’ arrests, some of the cases they’ve worked on are now being...
MoreStill land of the free?
July 3, 2008
Comments(0)Tomorrow is the Fourth of July, a celebration of America’s birthday and all the freedoms we have as American citizens. The
U.S. is the “land of the free,” but it sometimes feels like it’s slowly turning into the “land of the...
More
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The court of appeals not only tries to rewrite or interpret the law to suit their fancy, now they choose play stupid as well. Every consideration must be given to pro se litigants, who are not held to the same standards as attorneys, as stated by,SCOTUS. I assume they didn't have a lawyer, since one wasn't mentioned and I strongly suggest thatb the rest of the, origional petitioners get back in there and fight for their rights.
the irony of situations like this is that the clients whom conour cheated are the ones who should be pulling hardest for him to remain free and keep his law license, so they have some hopes of him paying back. really bury the guy deep and then there will be little hope of restitution
Qualified immunity, means that if you wear a badge, you are exempt from law and free to do anything you please! The courts will back badge toting individuals, because they think they are above the law as well. They think, they have judicial immunity, they do not.
Deeply, deeply concerned? I'll bet if it was the judge's money that had been swindled we'd see deep concern with actual consequences. First a Ponzi scheme, then a shell game with the assets…c'mon, hasn't Conour abused the judicial system and his clients long enough? I say enough already.
Wow, just wow.