Indiana parolees find success, employment after prison
Most people in Indiana’s parole program are finding jobs after their release from prison despite having felony convictions, the program’s director says.
Courts
Articles
Suit: Kids in CHINS cases need attorneys
A nonprofit that gave Indiana an F grade in how the state provides for minors in child in need of services and termination of parental rights hearings asserts in a new lawsuit that children a have right to counsel so their voices be heard in court.
Bond set for man charged with shooting 5 outside bar
A judge has set bond at $500,000 for a 32-year-old man charged with shooting five people outside an Evansville bar.
Father’s assertion of Fifth Amendment rights splits COA
Even though the Indiana Court of Appeals had previously affirmed that the youngsters in this case were children in need of services, in part because of allegations of a father’s sexual abuse, it has reversed the termination of parental rights because the requirement that the father participate in a sex offender treatment program violated his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination.
Justices consider timeliness of breach of contract complaint
A timeliness dispute between a dump truck manufacturer and one of its customers focusing on when causes of action accrued in the case went before the Indiana Supreme Court for oral arguments late last week.
Court of Appeals to hear appeals in Grant, Knox counties this week
The Indiana Court of Appeals will travel to the northern and southern parts of the state this week to hear oral arguments in two cases, one involving murder and the other involving drug possession.
Lawyer reprimanded for unknowingly representing co-defendants in separate cases
The Indiana Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded a Terre Haute attorney who failed to realize he had agreed to separately represent two co-defendants, leading to his representation of both defendants in a matter in which one defendant wanted to testify against the other.
COA rejects hearsay exception argument, upholds murder conviction
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s murder conviction and 65-year sentence after finding the defendant failed to show how out-of-court statements allegedly made by several individuals qualified as an exception to the hearsay rule.
Trump emergency declaration faces fights in the courts
President Donald Trump declared a national emergency along the southern border and predicted his administration would end up defending it all the way to the Supreme Court. That might have been the only thing Trump said Friday that produced near-universal agreement.
Justices to decide if 2020 census can ask about citizenship
The Supreme Court will decide whether the 2020 census can include a question about citizenship that could affect the allocation of seats in the House of Representatives and the distribution of billions of dollars in federal money. The justices agreed Friday to a speedy review of a lower court ruling that has so far blocked the Trump administration from adding the citizenship question to the census for the first time since 1950.
DOC cannot make Muslim inmate pay for religious diet, divided 7th Circuit says
The Indiana Department of Correction must provide a Muslim inmate housed at the Indiana State Prison with a meat-based diet in accordance with his religious beliefs, a divided panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Friday in a decision upholding a lower court.
7th Circuit affirms man’s phone store robbery conviction
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s conviction and sentence Thursday for conspiracy to commit robbery, finding the denial of his motion to change venue and suppress evidence was not erroneous.
Longtime Warsaw attorney resigns amid misconduct allegations
A Warsaw attorney with nearly 50 years’ experience has resigned from the Indiana bar after facing an investigation by the Indiana Supreme Court Disciplinary Commission.
7th Circuit: Damages proper in contract dispute between welding company, supplier
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed an award of damages to a welding company after finding language in an agreement with a welding supplies distributor did not entitle the latter to deferred payment.
Decatur lawyer convicted of forgery, counterfeiting suspended again
A Decatur lawyer sentenced to nearly nine months for forgery and counterfeiting convictions and disciplined five separate times last year has again been indefinitely suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for noncooperation. The Indiana Supreme Court indefinitely suspended Jill N. Holtzclaw on Thursday, effective immediately.
Trump says he’s declaring emergency to build border wall
President Donald Trump announced Friday that he will declare a national emergency to fulfill his pledge to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump said he will use executive powers to bypass Congress, which approved far less money for his proposed wall than he had sought.
Justices consider admissibility of disciplinary history of medical expert
Indiana Supreme Court justices heard oral argument Thursday in a minor fender bender case that resulted in a $1.3 million verdict, considering whether questions regarding a medical expert witness’ disciplinary history and competence should have been admitted.
COA: Stolen gun’s owner shielded from suit in fatal shooting
The Indiana Court of Appeals denied a mother’s argument of negligence against a gun owner whose stolen handgun caused the death of her son. The appellate court found the gun owner was shielded from liability under Indiana Code section 34-30-20-1.
Collector of some 1,000 child-porn images keeps 10-year sentence
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s sentence and convictions for child exploitation and possession of child pornography when it found the heinousness of his crimes warranted the sentence.
7th Circuit reverses decertification of used car dealer class
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a district court’s decision decertifying a class in a used auto dealership’s case when it found the stark change of mind lacked sufficient reasoning.