Within a year, the federal court system that covers the southern half of Indiana could have two new full-time magistrates, one being a newly created position that would be the first creation of its kind in almost three decades.

The newest judge for the Southern District of Indiana was sworn in Monday to officially become a U.S. District Judge.

Marion Superior Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has just received confirmation from the U.S. Senate, meaning she'll become state's first African-American federal judge and one of four female jurists on Indiana's federal bench.

The U.S. Senate plans to vote on a Marion Superior judge’s nomination for the federal bench on Tuesday, according to a spokesman in Sen. Evan’s Bayh’s office. Senators agreed Thursday to consider the nomination of Marion Superior Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, whom the president chose in January for the Southern District of Indiana to succeed Judge David F. Hamilton. Judge Hamilton was elevated to the federal appeals bench late last year.

This year's 7th Circuit Bar Association and Judicial Conference for the 7th Circuit featured a more historic tone because of the high-profile roster of legal community leaders who attended, as well as offering tidbits about how the Indianapolis federal courthouse will soon be going green, how the state's Southern District is hoping for a new full-time magistrate, and a call to action for Hoosier judges and attorneys to get more involved in a new e-discovery program under way.

A U.S. Senate committee is expected to discuss and vote Thursday on an Indianapolis federal magistrate judge's nomination for a judgeship in the Southern District of Indiana.

Thanks in part to the high-profile health-care summit today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee postponed votes this morning on three Indiana judicial nominees and a Bloomington law professor being considered for a key Department of Justice spot.

President Barack Obama's list of 40 nominees included four Indiana nominations.

A federal judge in Indianapolis has temporarily blocked the Indiana Department of Child Services from reducing the amounts it pays to foster and adoptive parents and juvenile-service providers.

A former attorney who pleaded guilty to mail fraud last year was sentenced to 3 years probation Tuesday by a federal judge.

Indiana Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh has unveiled who's being nominated for three open seats on the state's federal bench.

An Indianapolis man is suing the state Supreme Court justices and Board of Law Examiners because he believes he should be able to take the bar exam even if he didn't go to law school.

An accused child molester who sat in jail for 2 1/2 years until his case was dismissed is suing his former public defenders for legal malpractice.

Four defendants in cases pending before the St. Joseph Superior Court have filed a lawsuit claiming that county's courthouse is inaccessible for people with disabilities

In a one-two punch, a pair of lawsuits filed a week apart in December hit the Indiana Department of Child Services square in the gut over how the agency planned to reduce payment rates for foster and adoptive parents and juvenile service providers.

The Indianapolis Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal have joined the legal fight to unseal search-warrant documents related to the federal investigation of businessman Tim Durham and Akron, Ohio-based Fair Finance Co. The IBJ is a sister publication of Indiana Lawyer.

A federal judge rejected a northern Indiana sheriff's argument that a settlement agreement in a civil rights case includes attorney's fees and costs when the agreement doesn't say anything on the issue.

A nonprofit organization made up of agencies that provide services to abused and neglected kids is suing the Indiana Department of Child Services for cutting rates paid to the agencies next year.

The Indiana State Board of Law Examiners wants a U.S. District judge to issue a protective order stopping the ACLU of Indiana from obtaining what the agency describes as confidential information about bar applicants' answers to questions.

A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction to an adult bookstore in Indianapolis, temporarily stopping the city from enforcing a 2002 ordinance that regulates adult businesses.

The U.S. District judge who made the landmark ruling that the teaching of intelligent design in public schools is unconstitutional will speak at Indiana University Friday.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has amended several local rules, effective today. The amendments are available on the court's Web site.

The federal judiciary is seeking feedback from users through a short survey on its PACER program, which allows people to search federal court records.

U.S. District Judge David F. Hamilton is the newest jurist on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The U.S. Senate leader has filed a motion to limit debate on an Indianapolis judge's nomination for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, setting an hour of debate and roll call vote for Nov. 17.