Justices seem set to revive marathon bomber’s death sentence
The Supreme Court sounded ready Wednesday to reinstate the death penalty for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.
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Longtime 7th Circuit executive Fitzpatrick retires after 50 years
Collins Fitzpatrick, who initially served as a law clerk at the 7th Circuit in 1971, would later become the federal judiciary’s longest-serving circuit executive to date. After serving in that position for 45 years, Fitzpatrick retired Sept. 28 — leaving behind a legacy that both judges and attorneys alike argue will be hard to replicate.
ABA issues guidance to lawyers regarding clients with language differences
The American Bar Association has released a set of guidelines attorneys can follow when they don’t speak the same language as their clients.
OWI charges filed against Muncie police officer
A Muncie police officer who allegedly drove with a blood alcohol content of more than twice the legal limit while on the job is now facing misdemeanor drunken driving charges.
Guilty plea in fatal shooting outside Indiana high school
A 20-year-old man has pleaded guilty to charges in a shooting that happened in a northwestern Indiana high school’s parking lot that killed one teenager and injured another.
Poll finds 1 in 3 Americans would ‘do away with’ U.S. Supreme Court due to disagreeable rulings
More than one-third of Americans aren’t satisfied with the U.S. Supreme Court and would even consider abolishing it, according to a study that shows the country’s distaste of its justice system has sharply increased in recent years.
Judge orders Texas to suspend new law banning most abortions
A federal judge ordered Texas to suspend the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S., calling it an “offensive deprivation” of a constitutional right by banning most abortions in the nation’s second-most populous state since September.
Indiana justices amend state parenting time guidelines
The Indiana Supreme Court has issued a 28-page order detailing changes made to Indiana’s parenting time guidelines, which will take effect New Year’s Day.
Notre Dame swim coach resigns 1 week after lawsuit dismissed
Notre Dame’s head swimming coach has resigned one week after a federal judge dismissed a gender discrimination lawsuit that had accused him of degrading and demoting a female assistant because of her pregnancy.
COA affirms termination despite issues with Zoom hearing
A mother whose parental rights were terminated following a hearing held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic has lost her appeal of the termination, with the Indiana Court of Appeals finding the technological issues that arose during the virtual hearing were not tantamount to a due process violation.
State denied summary judgment on former DOC officer’s sexual harassment, retaliation claims
The state of Indiana must face sexual harassment and retaliation claims filed by a female former correctional officer, though the woman’s sex discrimination claim has been dismissed with prejudice.
Pharmacies face 1st trial over role in opioid crisis
In a bellwether federal trial starting Monday in Cleveland, Ohio’s Lake and Trumbull counties will try to convince a jury that retail pharmacy companies played an outsized role in creating a public nuisance in the way they dispensed pain medication into their communities.
COA affirms reformation of Goshen property deeds to recognize life estate
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed judgment for a Goshen woman whose request was granted for reformation of two property deeds to include a life estate that had been granted to her under prior contracts , despite opposition from a tenant on the property.
COA upholds sentence for inmate after yearlong disappearance from detention
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a man’s multiyear sentence issued after he was arrested on a warrant for failing to return to lawful detention for more than a year.
Hill not participating in appeal of case stemming from sexual misconduct allegations
Three of the four women who in 2018 accused former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of sexual misconduct are appealing the dismissal of their Title VII claims against the state, but Hill has declined to participate in the appeal.
Through pro se eyes: IU Maurer-led study looks at impact of virtual hearings on self-represented litigants
Indiana University Maurer School of Law professor is leading a study that takes a closer look at how the technology that made virtual hearings possible is helping — and hindering — pro se parties.
‘I’ve lived up to my oath’: Justice Thomas reflects on role, perceptions of judiciary at Notre Dame
United States Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is known for keeping mum while on the bench. But at a public lecture this month at the University of Notre Dame, the court’s longest-serving justice opened up about his life’s history and his views on the current state of the judiciary.
Vaccine mandates still contested issue inside law offices, courts as president prepares requirements
Whether by choice or force, COVID-19 vaccine mandates are changing operations in law offices and courtrooms across the country.
COA: Reasonable probability phone belonged to Indy man in drive-by shooting case
The admission of a cellphone confiscated at the same time an Indianapolis man was arrested for aiding a criminal in a drive-by shooting was not an error, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday in affirming his felony conviction.
Justices will hear arguments in breach of insurance contract, murder-for-hire cases
Indiana Supreme Court justices are set to hear oral argument in two cases next week, including a dispute that split an appellate panel earlier this year over a breached insurance contract and a Scott County murder-for-hire.