Justices deny transfer to 2 cases that split COA
The Indiana Supreme Court considered and denied 18 petitions for transfer last week, including two cases that drew concerns from members of the Indiana Court of Appeals.
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Justices side with business, government in information fight
The Supreme Court of the United States sided with businesses and the U.S. government Monday in a ruling about the public’s access to information, telling a South Dakota newspaper it can’t get the data it was seeking.
Jailed Fort Wayne attorney gets interim suspension for embezzlement convictions
A Fort Wayne attorney currently serving a six-month embezzlement sentence in federal prison has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana effective immediately following his felony convictions. The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order of interim suspension against Randall B. Stiles, who was sentenced in March to six months behind bars for two counts of felony bankruptcy fraud and one count of misdemeanor failure to file a tax return.
Senior judge to serve as judge pro tem after Lake County retirement
A judge pro tempore has been appointed to temporarily fill the seat of Lake Superior Judge John R. Pera, who recently announced his plans to retire at the end of this month.
High court strikes down ‘scandalous’ part of trademark law
The Untied States Supreme Court has struck down a section of federal law that prevented officials from registering trademarks seen as scandalous or immoral, handing a victory Monday to California fashion brand FUCT.
Feds in Hammond announce indictments of Chicago gang members
Several alleged members of a Chicago-based street gang have been indicted on charges that they killed or injured more than 40 people in shootings, stabbings and assaults in Chicago and Indiana dating back to 2006.
Henry, Madison counties considering possible shared jail
Officials from two central Indiana counties are considering the possibility of opening a regional jail that they would share.
Reversal: Insufficient evidence to support termination of mother’s rights
A mother’s efforts to get her life back on track and reunite with her daughter were recognized by the Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday, which reversed an order terminating the mother’s parent-child relationship for insufficient evidence.
‘Insanity’ judgments excluded ‘convictions’ under expungement statute, COA rules
An appellate panel has determined that individuals adjudicated as not responsible by reason of insanity may not have that finding expunged from their records pursuant to Indiana Code section 35-38-9- 1. It thus rejected a man’s request to have his murder charge removed from his record.
Appellate court reverses denial of request for third-party trustee
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed the denial of a woman’s request for a neutral third party to replace her brother-in-law as the personal representative and trustee of her father’s estate.
COA reverses $66K restitution order for insufficient evidence
A father will still get time behind bars for failing to pay at least a decade’s worth of child support, but questions as to how much he owes led to the reversal of his more than $66,000 restitution order on Friday.
Appellate court upholds denial of stepmother’s adoption petition
A Hendricks County stepmother cannot adopt her husband’s son because the child’s mother was justified in her failure to regularly communicate with the child for several years, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
COA allows transgender women to seal name-change records
Two transgender individuals seeking to keep private their name and gender marker change actions will be able to seal their case records after the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed trial court rulings requiring the transgender women to publish notice of the changes.
Indiana father acquitted in starvation death of 2-month-old
An Indianapolis man has been acquitted in the 2017 starvation death of his 2-month-old daughter. A jury returned the verdict late Wednesday in the case against William Moss following two days of testimony in Marion County Criminal Court.
Man acquitted of manslaughter in Fort Wayne road rage attack
A jury has acquitted a man of involuntary manslaughter but convicted him of battery for beating another man who subsequently died of a heart attack during an apparent road rage attack in Indiana. The jury in Fort Wayne deliberated about five hours Thursday before returning the split verdict in the trial of 28-year-old Brandon Cook.
Indiana official sued for records on US election hacking vulnerability
A voting security advocacy group is trying to force the former president of a group of state election officials to release documents on whether she wrongly asserted that electronic election systems are safe from hacking.
COA reduces counts in armed burglary of elderly Franklin couple
A man’s burglary conviction has been reduced from a Level 1 felony after he broke into an elderly couple’s Franklin home and bound them at gunpoint before stealing weapons, money and their car. An appellate panel concluded that injury to the elderly man’s mind did not qualify as a bodily injury.
Evidence supports convictions in Evansville auto-theft case
Auto-theft convictions have been upheld for a man who unsuccessfully argued that a vehicle he stole didn’t belong to its rightful owner. The man also failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that the vehicle was worth less than the amount he was ordered to pay in restitution.
Man with intellectual disability freed from death sentence
An Arkansas man sentenced to death for murdering a teenage girl in Texas 25 years ago has been granted his petition for habeas corpus after a federal judge determined him to be ineligible for the death penalty due to his intellectual disability. The man will be resentenced in Texas.
Senior judges may endorse political candidates, JQC says
The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications determined that senior judges may endorse candidates for public office, but retiring judges may not. The commission issued its advisory opinion in response to questions posed about endorsements of candidates for public office by retiring and senior judges.