Report: Half of Americans OK if DNA testing companies share user data to solve crimes
Almost half of Americans don’t mind if DNA submitted for ancestry testing is used to solve crimes, according to a Pew Research Center report.
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COA reverses for Duke Energy, orders easement improvements removed
A massive utility company has secured a reversal and judgment from the Indiana Court of Appeals following an easement-related dispute with a neighborhood developer. The result means a southern Indiana developer must remove the entrance to residential development under construction.
Web Exclusive: Senate passes bill extending sex crimes statute of limitations
A bill that would have done away with the statute of limitations for certain child sex abuse crimes is making headway in the 2020 Indiana General Assembly. But some advocates are disappointed in how the bill has panned out.
Teacher gun training program clears Indiana Senate
Indiana teachers who carry guns in schools would need to undergo annual training under a proposal advancing in the state Legislature.
Man seeks to have conviction overturned with new testimony
A Gary man testified that a now-dead man gave him a video recording of his confession to killing five people in 2000, a crime for which another man is serving 300 years in prison.
Newburgh man pleads guilty to abusing elderly disabled man
A southwestern Indiana man has pleaded guilty to charges that he put an elderly disabled man in a headlock and otherwise abused him while working as his caregiver in 2017.
Indiana lawmaker facing felony charge drops reelection bid
A state legislator from Indianapolis facing charges of threatening police officers who stopped him on suspicion of drunken driving is dropping his re-election bid.
Senator drops push to force Indiana marijuana prosecutions
A Republican state senator has dropped a proposal attacking what he called “social justice prosecution” by empowering Indiana’s attorney general to appoint special prosecutors to take over criminal cases that local authorities decide they won’t pursue.
Dreyer: Speaking of analogies, how about judges and basketball?
I have always wanted to be a basketball referee. Throughout my sports fan life, I have often seen refs that were good, and some that were not so good. As a new lawyer many years ago, and through 16 years of pre-bench practice, I also saw judges who were good and some who were not so good. I always made mental notes about the essential qualities of both kinds of judges for my future reference.
Justice by geography? Bill aims to bring uniformity to indigency determinations
Across Indiana, lawyers say judges in different counties often take different approaches to making an indigency determination. That’s led to what some call “justice by geography” — that is, a person facing charges might be deemed indigent in one county, but the same person facing the same charges in another county might be found to have the ability to pay. A Senate bill seeks a statewide standard.
In the Loop: Hoosier attorneys set sail for years of working adventure
Hoosier attorneys Ann Marie Waldron and Mike Simmons just returned home after weeks on a boat they plan to work from for the next few years. The couple have decided to work remotely from their boat as they complete a tour of the Great Loop: thousands of miles of waterway along the riverbanks and shorelines of eastern North America.
Prosecutor fighting discipline over role in police sex investigation
The elected prosecutor of Knox County in southwestern Indiana faces an attorney discipline case related to his conduct stemming from a local police investigation into his former chief deputy prosecutor’s relationship with a woman who was serving time on drug charges. An attorney for the prosecutor, however, is contesting the discipline case and says the prosecutor is the victim of a vendetta born of the small-town rumor mill.
IndyBar: New for 2020: Reduced CLE Rate for New Lawyers!
The IndyBar is making legal education more accessible than ever. Get the info (and the credits) you need to succeed with our newly-reduced rates on CLE programs! Effective immediately, attorney members in practice eight or fewer years pay just $20 per credit hour at any one of the IndyBar’s more than 150 CLE programs held annually.
‘Social justice prosecuting’ bill advances despite opposition
Despite opposition from nearly all of the organizations and individuals who testified, a bill that would allow the attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor over certain cases that a local prosecutor declines to prosecute advanced out of an Indiana Senate committee.
Hammerle on … 2020 Oscar picks
Find out who movie reviewer Robert Hammerle believes will walk away with Academy Awards on Sunday.
From a bicycle to a jet: New Marion County Justice Center to put technology first
Lawyers who have had a hearing or trial in the Indianapolis City-County Building often had to bring their own equipment, lug in the hardware, use their own applications and programs to present their material, then pack and lug everything back to the office. The situation will be dramatically different at Marion County’s new Community Justice Center under construction southeast of downtown.
IndyBar President’s Column: The One Where Ross, Rachel, Seinfeld, and Keith Hernandez Move The IndyBar
Unbeknownst to many, a few loyal members and the IndyBar staff have been busy moving all of us. The IndyBar’s lease on the 15th floor of the BMO building ended on Jan. 31. The “new space” at 140 N. Illinois St. will open on March 2, and we are planning a grand opening celebration in early April.
Courier services remain, but diminish with new technology
Even after the advent of e-filing and some paperless offices, courier services are still available, and the need for such services persists. That need has evolved in the digital age, but attorneys and delivery companies say there are options available when technology can’t yet get the job done.
Stafford: Indiana Lawyer to introduce metering for website access
In order to continue to best serve you, the Indiana Lawyer website, theindianalawyer.com, can no longer remain wholly free of charge. Beginning soon, we will follow the example of most print and digital media outlets that have instituted metering on their websites.
Late-night hearing approves adult penalties for youths
A bill increasing the penalties for juvenile offenders passed a Senate committee on the night of Jan. 28 despite more than an hour of testimony from judges, attorneys, social workers, pastors and former inmates who all voiced strong and sometimes emotional opposition.