St. Joseph County judges require masks in courthouses
A northern Indiana county’s judges have reinstated an order requiring people to wear masks in four courthouses because of the county’s rising COVID-19 infection rates.
Courthouses
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Making history: Pratt first African American chief judge of Southern District
New Southern District of Indiana Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt Pratt is focused on steps to reopen courthouses to the public as the country hopes to be quelling the COVID-19 virus and advocating in Congress for a new judgeship to help handle the court’s excessive caseload.
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‘It all starts with the family’
With a pending move to a new courthouse, Marion County Courts are launching a new family division that aims to follow a one family, one judge model.
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Serve and protect: Shooting of federal judge’s family sparks safety reform recommendations
After the shooting of a district judge’s son and husband at her home in New Jersey, Hoosier federal jurists say they live daily with the reality of threats to their safety. The judicial Conference has adopted a series of recommendations aimed at safeguarding the federal bench.
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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.
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Articles
Supreme Court announces pilot program allowing news broadcasts in select courts
The Indiana Supreme Court announced last week that members of the news media will be permitted to broadcast certain in-person proceedings in five Indiana trial courts through a new pilot project starting Dec. 1.
Northern Indiana county on way from 2 courthouses to 1
Work is poised to start on a new $94 million courthouse for northern Indiana’s Elkhart County that will consolidate a court system now split between buildings in the cities of Goshen and Elkhart.
Congress passes bill to fund Capitol security, Afghan visas
Congress overwhelmingly passed emergency legislation Thursday that would bolster security at the Capitol, repay outstanding debts from the violent Jan. 6 insurrection and increase the number of visas for allies who worked alongside Americans in the Afghanistan war.
Review prompted by building collapse closes Miami courthouse
The Miami-Dade County Courthouse will begin undergoing repairs immediately because of safety concerns found during a review prompted by the deadly collapse of a nearby condominium building, officials said.
Indiana Southern District to resume in-person jury trials in April
The Southern Indiana District Court has announced plans to resume in-person jury trials in April following a months-long hiatus due to the pandemic. Jury trials in Southern District courts are expected to resume April 5, and clerk offices in all divisions will reopen to the public next week.
Community Justice Campus nears completion
Marion County’s ambitious plan to put the various pieces of the local justice system onto a single campus is on schedule to be completed at the end of 2021. The Indianapolis-Marion County Community Justice Center, located just southeast of downtown in the Twin Aire neighborhood, will be home to the county jail, the sheriff’s office and the county courthouse. Earlier this year, the Assessment and Intervention Center opened and is treating individuals with mental health and addiction issues.
Southern District to halt trials, naturalizations due to COVID-19
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana announced Friday it is suspending jury trials and cancelling naturalization ceremonies in response to the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Immigration overload: Court backlog of 1.2 million cases sparks fears, frustration and calls for change
Immigration attorneys say the lengthening time between hearings and the growing delays are needlessly clogging the docket, causing backlogs to skyrocket and putting client due process at risk. Since fiscal year 2017, the number of pending cases nationwide has more than doubled from 629,051 to 1.26 million for fiscal year 2020.
Republicans win big in Indiana from Statehouse to courthouses
Although the results of the United States presidential race were delayed well beyond Election Night, Hoosiers learned the winners of several state and local races soon after the polls closed as Republicans secured their grip on state and federal offices.
New strategic goals set for improving state courts
The Judicial Conference of Indiana’s strategic plan for the next decade, titled 2020 Forward, rededicates areas of achievement previously attained with past white papers while also setting new goals striving for greater accountability and access to justice.
Southern District to resume jury trials next week
The Indiana Southern District Courts will resume jury trials next week following a COVID-19 suspension that’s been in effect since March. Potential jurors still may be excluded from service upon a showing of “undue hardship or extreme inconvenience,” the court said.
Supreme Court allows cameras in courtrooms for COVID-19 PSAs
The Indiana Supreme Court is easing the rules against cameras in the courtroom to allow counties to produce videos that instruct the public on COVID-19 procedures in courthouses.
New Allen Superior Judge Williams’ swearing-in ceremony Friday
The Allen Superior Court will host a swearing-in ceremony for incoming Judge Andrew S. Williams this week as he succeeds retiring judge Nancy Eshcoff Boyer.
Jackson County asks 7th Circuit to allow Christmas Nativity scene display
The legal battle over the constitutionality of a Jackson County Christmas display on public property is continuing in federal court, with advocates for a Nativity scene urging the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to overturn a lower court injunction.
Source: US, Oregon in talks about pulling agents in Portland
The Trump administration has started talks with the Oregon governor’s office and indicated that it would begin to draw down the presence of federal agents sent to quell two months of chaotic protests in Portland if the state stepped up its own enforcement, a senior White House official said Tuesday.
Southern Indiana District sets reopening for July 6
The federal courthouses in the Southern Indiana District will reopen to the public July 6 and in-person court proceedings will begin resuming on a staggered schedule. All individuals will be required to answer screening questions to be allowed inside courthouses and to wear facemasks in all public spaces.
Marion County courts begin reopening in-person proceedings
Indianapolis courts are beginning to reopen to in-person proceedings this week, though social distancing and other public-safety measures remain in effect at the downtown City-County Building.
Southern District requiring federal courthouse visitors to wear face masks
All visitors and occupants of every Southern District of Indiana courthouse will be required to wear protective face masks, Chief Judge Jane Magnus Stinson announced in a Friday order. Those who refuse could be found in contempt of court.
Southern District to resume limited in-person criminal proceedings next week
Limited in-person criminal proceedings can resume in all divisions of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana beginning next week, the district court announced Friday.