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7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Articles
AG Hill’s accusers file state complaint, 7th Circuit appeal over alleged groping
Following two dismissals from the Indiana Southern District Court, the four women who have accused Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of sexual misconduct are taking their claims for battery, defamation and invasion of privacy to state court.
Stafford: Executions indict the justice system at just the wrong time
At a time when the American criminal justice system is under the most intense scrutiny of most of our lives, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals’ ruling allowing the execution of Daniel Lewis Lee was slap in the face of the victims’ family members who opposed it and a bizarre, out-of-touch, wholly mean-spirited form of justice.
US executes 3 in first federal death sentences since 2003
The federal government last week carried out its first executions in almost two decades after the US Supreme Court in separate 5-4 rulings turned away last-minute appeals from two condemned inmates’ legal teams. Their executions, and that of a third defendant, were carried out by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute.
7th Circuit snuffs out injunction on state smokable hemp law
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
Maley: Pro bono appointments are necessary obligation for justice
I’m still processing the news that this morning my court-appointed death-row client, Wesley Purkey, was executed. I was his pro bono counsel on three civil-rights/conditions of confinement claims in the Southern District of Indiana. So as I wrestle now — and hopefully for some time — with the legal and moral aspects of capital punishment that otherwise have been remote, it seems appropriate and timely to discuss the needs and opportunities for pro bono service in civil cases in our local federal courts. Both are robust.
7th Circuit upholds dismissal of Indiana Harbor rail lease litigation
A lease dispute between the majority and minority owners of Chicago-area rail switch carrier Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad was properly dismissed, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday.
‘Antilawyering’ means court defeat for would-be Indy developer, 7th Circuit affirms
Failure to follow local court rules led to defeat for a would-be developer suing the city of Indianapolis, an outcome upheld Wednesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
7th Circuit affirms conviction in Miranda warning dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s conviction, rejecting his argument that the record doesn’t show that the statements read to him from a card produced by police satisfy his Miranda warnings.
Judge halts execution amid claims inmate isn’t mentally fit
A judge on Wednesday halted the execution of a man said to be suffering from dementia, who had been set to die by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute in the federal government’s second execution after a 17-year hiatus.
7th Circuit reverses man’s habeas relief over vehicle search
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed habeas corpus relief granted to a man in a disputed search case where police opened a locked box full of illegal drugs while executing an arrest warrant.
Tax fraud sentence affirmed for man who sought ‘legacy trust’ IRS refunds
A man who repeatedly sought six-figure tax refunds from the IRS based on sovereign-citizen-style claims lost his appeal of a three-year sentence and an order that he repay nearly $150,000.
7th Circuit snuffs out injunction on Indiana smokable hemp law
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
Sykes becomes chief judge of 7th Circuit
Diane Sykes, who has often been mentioned as a possible nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, has become the chief judge of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, assuming the leadership position July 5.
Indiana Court Decisions – June 18-30, 2020
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
7th Circuit: Caseworker didn’t retaliate against prisoner
An Indiana prisoner whose discipline conviction was overturned for lack of evidence did not persuade the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that his case manager later retaliated against him for activity protected by the First Amendment.
7th Circuit affirms drug conspiracy conviction
A man convicted in a drug conspiracy could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that he pleaded guilty to a lesser amount than what the government indicted him for.
7th Circuit temporarily stays federal execution set for next week
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily stayed an execution scheduled for next week after finding that two issues raised by a Terre Haute inmate were “worthy of further exploration.” Wesley Ira Purkey’s execution was scheduled for July 15, but now it will be stayed “pending the completion of proceedings in the Seventh Circuit.”
Indiana report says abortions dropped 5% in state last year
The number of abortions performed in Indiana fell by about 5% last year, according to a new state health department report.
SCOTUS denies cert petition against South Bend abortion clinic
U.S. Supreme Court justices rejected a third Indiana abortion case on Thursday, refusing to hear a petition filed against an embattled South Bend abortion clinic that was permitted by a federal judge to open last summer.