Knowing the possible consequences
Legal community works to ensure defendants know plea agreements could impact immigration status.
Michael W. Hoskins
Articles
Unifying Indiana courts
Unification of courts is leading to greater efficiency and cooperation.
Targeting stolen money
AG says lawsuits against public officials show need for better oversight.
7th Circuit decides MDL appeal question
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeal wants each federal judge handling multi-district litigation to have the flexibility to choose between sending parts of unresolved cases back to the original courts or keep those in one jurisdiction, once a final district-level decision has been made and the time for appeal arrives.
Hammond City judge gets 60-day unpaid suspension
The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered that Hammond City Court Judge Jeffrey A. Harkin be suspended for 60 days without pay.
Court won’t remove trial judge in Simon case
The Indiana Court of Appeals has dismissed an appeal filed by Melvin Simon’s widow, finding that it doesn’t have jurisdiction to remove a Hamilton Superior judge from the case involving the late mall-magnate’s estate valued at more than $2 billion.
Justices suspend Logansport lawyer for 1 year
The Indiana Supreme Court suspended a Logansport attorney for one year because he routinely allowed his secretary to prepare and sign his name on bankruptcy petitions and other court documents, including one petition that she mistakenly filed in the wrong District.
Supreme Court to hear Affordable Care Act challenges
In what’s expected to be a historic constitutional test over how much power the federal government has to require individual mandates for states, the Supreme Court of the United States will consider the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010.
SCOTUS takes Indianapolis sewer payment case
The Supreme Court of the United States has granted certiorari in a case that questions whether the city of Indianapolis violated the federal Constitution in how it handled refunds for residents who paid assessments on local sewer projects.
Barnes panel OKs proposed law changes
A legislative study committee has approved proposed changes to state law that it hopes the Indiana General Assembly will consider in response to a state Supreme Court decision earlier this year.
Indiana has new ALJ chapter
Two state government attorneys have founded the Indiana chapter of the National Association of Administrative Law Judiciary. Their goal is to organize and connect those individuals in the state who are working in an ALJ capacity.
Indiana bankruptcy filings decrease in 2011
Indiana saw fewer bankruptcies for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2011, than it did the year before, with the state improving its national ranking based on case filings.
Justices accept 1 transfer case, deny 9
The Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer to a divorce case last week and denied nine other cases during its weekly private conference.
Appellate court rules man can challenge med mal cap’s constitutionality
An Indianapolis man will get an evidentiary hearing on whether the state’s $1.25 million cap on medical malpractice awards is unconstitutional.
Improving a child’s access to counsel
A proposed draft rule would change waiver procedures in the juvenile justice system.
Rookie year on the Supreme Court
New Indiana Justice Steven David is settled but still finding his niche.
Adding UPL to Indiana RICO statute
An Indiana Supreme Court case involving an estate planning “trust mill” has led to a policy discussion about whether certain types of unauthorized practice of law should rise above a misdemeanor crime and involve a racketeering component.
Indiana can’t cap Medicaid coverage of dental services
A northern Indiana federal judge has ruled that the state must fully cover dental services that are medically necessary for Medicaid participants, and it can’t deny coverage exceeding a certain amount because that would prevent some low-income individuals the ability to get needed care.
Justices decline to reconsider out-of-state placements ruling
The Indiana Supreme Court has denied a rehearing petition from the state attorney general’s office to revisit a June ruling that upheld three statutes involving juvenile judges’ authority on out-of-state placements.