Articles

7th Circuit reverses death sentence for murderer Baer

Despite the “atrocious” nature of a murderer’s crimes, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed his death sentence in a habeas petition, finding prosecutorial misconduct and misleading jury instructions likely influenced the jury’s decision to sentence him to death.

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AG’s office files notice of appeal in immigration case

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office has filed a notice of appeal with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals after a district court judge struck down its motion to intervene in a federal immigration case that places additional requirements on local law enforcement detaining individuals for the federal government.

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7th Circuit reinstates Monarch-linked liquor distribution suit

The legal battle over an Indiana law that prohibits companies from holding permits for both beer and liquor wholesaling will continue after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of a federal case that challenges the enforcement of Indiana’s prohibited-interest statute.

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Conour to be resentenced; feds on guard for ‘brazen’ arguments

The 10-year prison sentence imposed on former attorney and convicted fraudster William Conour has been vacated and remanded for resentencing. The government Wednesday urged the judge who will again resentence him not to indulge arguments that he, rather than former clients he stole from, is a victim.

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7th Circuit affirms ruling for employer on discrimination claims

Indiana’s Southern District Court properly granted summary judgment to a black man on a discrimination case against his former employer after finding the man failed to prove his termination was based on discriminatory practices, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

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District court to reconsider convicted robber’s sentence

A man convicted in federal court of two armed robberies will get a chance at a more lenient sentence after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent warranted review of the sentence previously imposed on the man.

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Year End Review - Indiana Tech Law School

Top 10 legal stories of 2017 focus on law schools, court changes

The closing of 4-year-old Indiana Tech Law School in Fort Wayne, and the revelation that 138-year-old Valparaiso University Law School faced an uncertain future, made law school troubles the top legal news story of 2017, as determined by the staff of Indiana Lawyer. Changes on the federal and state bench also were among the year’s top stories.

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7th Circuit upholds denial of environmental insurance claim

A northern Indiana couple cannot seek insurance coverage for pre-existing environmental pollution they discovered on their businesses’ property because the language of their insurance policy unambiguously exempts coverage for known or unknown property damage occurring before their policy began, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.

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7th Circuit upholds qualified immunity

The Department of Correction’s religious director was entitled to qualified immunity on a complaint alleging he violated two Jewish plaintiffs’ First Amendment rights by failing to delay their transfer to a facility that did not offer Jewish group worship services, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday.

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7th Circuit upholds Armed Career Criminal Act sentence

An Indiana man sentenced to 15 years under the Armed Criminal Career Act has lost his appeal of his sentence after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined he met the requirements of three prior violent offenses to warrant the Act’s mandatory 15-year minimum.

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7th Circuit affirms ruling for laid off tenured teacher

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down the retroactive application of an Indiana law that removed job security protections for tenured teachers, finding the application to teachers who were tenured before the law took effect is a substantial impairment to their constitutional contractual rights.

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