Affirms Beer's convictions and sentence for three counts of dealing cocaine, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent offender, possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver, and maintaining a common nuisance.

Expect to see David E. Cook's face at the Marion County Public Defender Agency a little longer than anticipated.The chief public defender is delaying for a month his departure - originally planned for Feb. 15 - to help make sure the agency has adequate leadership while its board of directors searches for a successor. Cook is stepping down after 12 years as the county's top public defender to work for immigration firm Gresk & Singleton in Indianapolis.Because the agency needed leadership...

The Indiana Court of Appeals today upheld a lower court's ruling that the state's law prohibiting violent and child sex offenders from living within 1,000 feet of a school or public area where children congregate is unconstitutional.The ruling came in State of Indiana v. Anthony W. Pollard, No. 05A02-0707-CR-640. Judges heard arguments in the case March 31. The state argued that Indiana Code Section 35-42-4-11 was not considered ex post facto law as applied to Pollard, but the appeals court disagreed and...

A national watchdog group has ranked Indiana seventh in the nation for how it holds its state and federal judges accountable.The Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, nonpartisan organization HALT, Inc. - Help Abolish Legal Tyranny - gave the Hoosier state's program a "C+" on its report card, which it claims is the first study of its kind in the nation. Both Indiana and Nevada received the 7th-place ranking. A press release about the state's ranking cited Indiana as "exemplary" in some respects including...

Veterans of Valor, an organization to assist injured veterans and supported by a number of Indianapolis attorneys, will sponsor a fundraiser and open house Feb. 29 in Greenwood.The event will feature a presentation of the organization's recently released Web site, www.veteransofvalor.org, as well as information about different ways to get involved.The organization is seeking volunteers who can make a long-term commitment and those who only have enough time to help with short-term projects. Because the organization is relatively new, there are...

The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed today that trial courts must inquire about a defendant's ability to pay when they order restitution as a condition of probation or a suspended sentence and a restitution obligation continues beyond the end of a probationary period. However, in Jeffrey Pearson v. State of Indiana, No. 45S03-0712-CR-574, the high court affirmed the trial court's order for Pearson to pay at least $150 a month in restitution as a condition of his probation even though the trial court...

University professors who do not have their fixed-termed contracts renewed after the contract expires are entitled to unemployment benefits because their resulting unemployment isn't voluntary, ruled the Indiana Supreme Court Tuesday. In Indiana State University v. William C. LaFief, et al., No. 93S02-0801-EX-17, William LaFief was hired by Indiana State University as an assistant professor for one academic year and was reappointed for the following year. After his second academic year at the university, LaFief was told by the school he would...

The Indianapolis Mayor's Office is currently accepting nominations for the Charles L. Whistler Award.The award is named after a Baker & Daniels senior partner, Whistler, who gave his time and abilities to the Indianapolis community. At the time of his death in 1981, he was chairman of the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee's Urban Growth and Revitalization Task Force, and the White River State Park Citizen's Advisory Committee. Nominations are open to anyone in Indianapolis except currently appointed government employees and public...

The International Human Rights Law Society at Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis will have more money to work with now than its $375 budget from the beginning of the school year, thanks to the organization's vice president. The IHRLS is the student group that has researched, written, and presented shadow reports to experts for the United Nations Human Rights Council. Funds for the organization bring international human rights experts to speak at the school, present movie nights that are...

Contract provisions that exempt a party from liability under the Indiana Crime Victims Statute are void when the party violates public policy, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday. In The State Group Industrial (USA) Unlimited v. Murphy & Associates Industrial Services, No. 82A04-0703-CV-158, State Group appealed the trial court judgment denying the company's request for relief under Indiana Code 34-24-3-1, the Crime Victims Statute. The trial court awarded State Group actual damages, but denied relief under the statute based on a...

State lawmakers have announced what topics they'll explore before the 2009 legislative term begins.On tap: immigration, administrative law judge powers, Indiana's alcoholic beverage laws, and a variety of other legal issues.The Indiana Legislative Council Thursday created multiple new interim study commissions that will meet this summer. What they recommend helps set the stage for the next session. Legislative leaders will appoint lawmakers to the panels in coming weeks, and most must make recommendations to the General Assembly by Nov. 1.One of...

The Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a defendant's convictions of child molesting and used the opinion to establish how documents explaining the underlying analysis of DNA testing may be admitted at a criminal trial.In hearing the appeal of Richard Pendergrass v. State of Indiana, No. 71A03-0712-CR-588, the appellate court discovered after a thorough review of caselaw that there was no precedent in place to establish the admittance at a criminal trial of those documents. Richard Pendergrass appealed his child molesting convictions, arguing...

Indiana's law requiring voters to show photo identification before casting a ballot is constitutional, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this morning.The nation's high court issued its decision at 10 a.m. on the pair of consolidated cases, William Crawford, et al. v. Marion County Election Board, et al., No. 07-21, and Indiana Democratic Party, et al. v. Todd Rokita, No. 07-25. The decision comes just a week prior to Indiana's primary on May 6, upholding the strictest voter ID law in the...

Marion Superior Judge Grant W. Hawkins is used to spending his days in court. But on Oct. 6 and 7, he wasn't on the bench; the jurist was the one being judged. Already, his former part-time commissioner has resigned and been permanently banned from any judicial role because of this issue, and Judge Hawkins is battling 11 misconduct charges against him that could mean his judicial career is on the line. But before he finds out his fate, the judge is...

Trial courts should be able to deny criminal defendants the right to represent themselves when that person can't communicate coherently with the court or jury, the Indiana Attorney General's Office wants the nation's highest court to decide.The state submitted a brief this week to the Supreme Court of the United States, which will hear arguments March 26 in the Hoosier-based pro se case of Indiana v. Ahmad Edwards, No. 07-208. You can view the 74-page brief online here.Dating to July 1999,...

The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a judgment enjoining some members of a class action suit from pursuing a quiet title action, finding the agreements of a settlement disposed of all claims in property between the class and a company.In Fern E. Firestone, et al. v. American Premier Underwriters Inc. and U.S. Railroad Vest, Corp., No. 06A01-0804-CV-199, the appellate court had to determine whether the trial court erred in ruling that claims brought by Wayne E. Boyd and Bunker Farms to...

While Feb. 29, which happens every four years, marks just another day for most, a first-year law student at Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis will celebrate his sixth birthday today.Mike Doversberger, an Elkhart native born Feb. 29, 1984, said he might use the birthday as a way to break the ice at a job interview today. Later, he will celebrate with friends and family."I like to put it on the resume that I graduated from Notre Dame (undergrad) before...

In a case of first impression, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled write-offs constitute insurance benefits for which an insured has paid directly, and as a result opposing parties in suits can't introduce evidence of write-offs to reduce damage awards. In Brandon Stanley v. Danny Walker, No. 41A01-0610-CV-462, the appellate court looked to courts in other jurisdictions for the answer to whether write-offs negotiated by an insurer amount to an "insurance benefit" and should therefore be excluded when calculating the actual extent...

The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer to one case dealing with child support, and two cases dealing post-conviction relief. The court also granted transfer to three cases involving sex offenders.In the case Marla K. Young v. Timothy S. Young, No. 09A05-0701-CV-52, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part the trial court's calculation of Timothy's child support obligation. The appellate court found the trial court erroneously calculated Timothy's weekly gross income, and remanded the trial court to add...

The Indiana Court of Appeals examined state statutes to determine which apply when a candidate dies before the primary but wins the election, an issue the court hadn't tackled before. In Dan Lockard v. Charles Miles and John Mullican, No. 84A04-0708-CV-493, Lockard challenged his loss to Charles Miles in the Terre Haute Democratic primary. Miles died April 18, 2007, nearly three weeks before the May 8 primary, and media in Terre Haute first reported his death April 19. Lockard and Miles were...

The Indiana State Bar Association is accepting nominations for awards the organization traditionally hands out at its annual meeting in October. Nominations for the following awards will be accepted through July 15: Outstanding Judge Award, Outstanding Young Lawyer Award, Rabb Emison Award, Hon. Viola Taliaferro Award, and David Hamacher Public Service Award. In addition, nominations are due by July 15 for three civility awards handed out by the Litigation Section of the state bar: the GP Hall of Fame, Liberty Bell...

Court-watchers looking online to view Indiana's appellate decisions have been denied two days of opinions because those published rulings were not posted online.A set of three dozen opinions came down Tuesday and Wednesday, but a change last month in how access is provided to those daily rulings meant that only online viewers, those directly involved in a decided case, or those who've traveled to the Indiana Statehouse to inspect opinions knew that any rulings had been released.By noon today, a list...

The Indiana State Bar Association is looking for attorneys to help answer legal questions of Hoosiers affected by this month's flooding. Flood victims can call the bar association's toll-free number to receive free legal assistance for issues relating to the flooding. Community Outreach Coordinator Alaina Byers said volunteer attorneys can be from anywhere in the state. Flood victims will contact the state bar at (800) 266-2581 and leave their contact information and legal issue. The ISBA will pass along the information...

The superintendent of the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City has been named the new Department of Corrections commissioner. Edwin Buss will succeed Dave Donahue Aug. 1. Donahue announced his resignation as commissioner earlier this week. Buss, a LaPorte native, has been superintendent of the Michigan City facility since 2005 and was superintendent at the Westville Correctional Facility from 2002 to 2005. He began his career as a correctional officer in 1987 at the Indiana State Prison. Donahue announced his resignation...

The Indiana Court of Appeals travels north to a Syracuse high school Thursday to hear arguments in a case involving the search and discovery of drugs in a car. In Jerald J. Womack v. State of Indiana, 43A03-0706-CR-251, Womack appealed his convictions and sentence for Class D felony marijuana possession and for being a habitual controlled-substance offender. The Court of Appeals will determine whether the police search of Womack's car violated his rights under the U.S. and Indiana constitutions and if...