Dec. 31, 2025 – Jan. 13, 2026
From the immigration crackdown that brought hundreds of detainees to Indiana jails to the firing of public employees for their social media posts on the Charlie Kirk assassination to the Indiana Senate’s rejection of mid-cycle redistricting, the state saw plenty of legal news in 2025. The staff of The Indiana Lawyer picked the state’s Top 10 legal stories of the year. See which story we chose, and also peruse a list of the most-read stories on our website. In our regular news section, you can learn from Managing Editor Daniel Carson about the how President Donald Trump's executive order on artificial intelligence is affecting the advise attorneys are giving their business clients. Reporter Cameron Shaw helps you prepare for the 2026 session of the Indiana General Assembly by examining five legal issues lawmakers are expected to tackle, and Reporter Maura Johnson provides an update on the new e-filing system being developed for the state's courts.
Top StoriesBack to Top
Indiana’s top legal stories of 2025
From the immigration crackdown that brought hundreds of detainees to Indiana jails to the Indiana Senate’s rejection of mid-cycle redistricting, the state saw plenty of legal news in 2025. See what story our staff picked as the top legal story of the year.
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Our most-read online stories in 2025
There’s no mistaking that our readers gravitate to stories about attorneys and judges being disciplined by the Indiana Supreme Court. Half of our 10 most popular online stories in 2025 involved attorney discipline.
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Trump’s executive order on AI creating uncertainty for businesses
The order seeking to preempt state regulation of artificial intelligence has added another wrinkle as attorneys attempt to advise their clients on AI usage and how to mitigate risk, as more and more companies incorporate the technology into their business practices.
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5 legal issues to watch in the 2026 Legislature
The Indiana General Assembly is preparing for an abbreviated legislative session, but lawmakers will still delve into legal issues dealing with immigration, capital punishment and the removal process for prosecutors and Marion Superior Court judges.
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Indiana courts prep for updated e-filing system
The new system was originally expected to roll out this month, but the release is now set for spring.
Read MoreOpinionBack to Top
Blake Hartz: A look at the year when generative AI became ‘legal’
The problem many AI companies have encountered is that their enormous training datasets contain enormous amounts of copyrighted content.
Read MoreMelissa Hamer: A year loaded with environmental regulatory changes
Between Supreme Court rewrites of familiar statutes, extended methane deadlines, and Indiana’s new stormwater and water-pipeline rules, our regulated community spent 2025 chasing certainty.
Read MoreAshley Hart: Handling grief during the holidays
Grief is a Long Play LP all on its own. It’s an intense collection of our losses, amplified by the expectations of the season. Many times, it is not the Hallmark movie soundtrack that we had in mind.
Read MoreDustin Houchin: Providing a furlough from jail is tradition, not state law
Much of what goes on in courtrooms is based on tradition and folklore rather than the text of the law. Take the furlough as an example.
Read MoreKayla Goodfellow: December doesn’t provide the recipe for having it all
There are times during the year when I can maintain the pleasant illusion of control. December offers no such mercy.
Read MoreBar AssociationsBack to Top
IndyBar: President’s Update
I want to take a moment to reflect on what an incredible honor it has been for me to serve as president of the Indianapolis Bar Association.
Read MoreIndyBar: Rock Stars of the Bar: IndyBar’s Got Talent Returns to The Vogue
The gavel isn’t the only thing Indianapolis lawyers know how to drop.
Read MoreIndyBar: IndyBar Paralegal Committee Successfully Collects 300+ Teddy Bears for Eskenazi Hospital Patients
IndyBar’s Paralegal Committee partnered with Eskenazi Hospital’s Emergency Department to help spread a little Christmas comfort by sponsoring a Teddy Bear Challenge at the Paralegal Holiday Luncheon.
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