February bar pass rate jumps to 50 percent after appeals
As predicted, the February 2019 bar exam results rose after the appeals process, but the overall passage rate of 50 percent is still the lowest in at least the past 17 years.
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7th Circuit upholds drug dealer’s career criminal ruling
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a determination that man convicted for drug-related offenses was a career offender under § 4B1.1 of the United States Sentencing Guidelines and that a corresponding enhancement was appropriately applied to his sentence, rejecting his interpretation of the statute.
Conviction upheld for mom firing gun from baby bag
A woman who fired a gun into the ceiling of a hair salon after she was asked to leave for arguing with a stylist was denied an appeal of her convictions Tuesday when the Indiana Court of Appeals found there was no abuse of discretion in allowing certain witnesses to testify in her case after they violated a separation of witnesses order.
Rockville man gets 30 years in wife’s beating death
A western Indiana man has been sentenced to 30 years in prison after pleading guilty to fatally punching his wife.
COA rejects ex-teacher’s defamation claims against Elkhart Truth
A former Elkhart teacher who alleged a newspaper defamed him by writing an article about his federal lawsuit against the school that fired him failed to convince an appellate panel that the issue was not of public interest, or that the article was not written in good faith.
Man gets 63 years in prison for deadly cellphone cord attack
A New Castle man has been sentenced to 63 years in prison for using a cellphone cord to choke an acquaintance who died about eight months after the attack.
SCOTUS to hear arguments over citizenship question on census
The United States Supreme Court is set to hear arguments over the Trump administration’s plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census, a question that could affect how many seats states have in the House of Representatives and their share of federal dollars over the next 10 years.
Federal judge hears South Bend abortion clinic arguments
A federal judge Monday considered arguments stemming from a nonprofit’s lengthy legal battle to open an abortion clinic in South Bend, which was characterized by the judge as a potential legal stalemate that could be considered a “moving target.”
Video released of suspect in 2017 killings of Delphi girls
Authorities on Monday released video of a man suspected of killing two Delphi teenagers two years ago and urged the public to scrutinize the footage, which shows him walking on an abandoned railroad bridge the girls visited while out hiking the day they were slain. The Indiana State Police also released a new sketch of […]
Neighbors’ Right-to Farm Act constitutional challenge fails
A constitutional challenge to Indiana’s Right To Farm Act was tossed by the Indiana Court of Appeals, rejecting neighbors’ claims that an 8,000-hog concentrated animal feeding operation has deprived them of their long-vested property rights.
E-filing now available in Howard County courts
Electronic filing is now available in more than 40 civil and criminal case types in Howard circuit and superior courts. That leaves just three more counties scheduled to make the switch to e-filing this year.
Supreme Court to take up LGBT job discrimination cases
The Supreme Court is taking on a major test of LGBT rights in cases that look at whether federal civil rights law bans job discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Brady joins Northern Indiana District Court
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana welcomed its newest jurist Monday, with Holly Brady scheduled to have been sworn in at 11 a.m.
Trump, business organization sue Democratic House chairman
President Donald Trump and his business organization sued the Democratic chairman of the House oversight committee on Monday to block a subpoena that seeks years of the president’s financial records.
Animal cruelty penalties measure heads to Holcomb’s desk
People convicted of animal cruelty could face higher penalties under a bill that’s headed to Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk.
Indiana murder suspect released on bond
A judge in northwest Indiana has granted bail to a 37-year-old man charged with murder after a police officer testified earlier this month that the fatal shooting was likely accidental.
Ruling striking law in homeless case mirrors Indianapolis debate
A California federal appeals court ruling that homeless individuals cannot be criminally charged for sleeping on public property reflected sentiments last fall that helped stop a proposed Indianapolis ordinance that barred people from sitting or lying on public property during certain hours.
Judge strikes down legislation that blocked Bloomington annexation
A judge has ruled that 2017 state legislation inserted into the budget bill that blocked Bloomington’s attempt to annex 9,500 acres of property is unconstitutional.
Tax Court denies boat maker’s motion to strike investigatory report
A southern Indiana barge and water vessel manufacturer hit rough waters after the Indiana Tax Court denied its motion to strike an investigatory report and testimony presented in its income tax refund litigation.
New IU Maurer professorship honors first black, female U.S. state justice
The Indiana University Maurer School of Law has announced the creation of a trailblazing endowed professorship – the first in Indiana University history to honor an African-American woman, and the law school’s first named after a woman of color.