Former East Chicago councilman sentenced to 20 years
A former northwestern Indiana city councilman has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting a man he owed a drug debt to.
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Bolton: International Criminal Court ‘already dead to us’
America’s long-running reluctant relationship with the International Criminal Court came to a crashing halt as decades of U.S. suspicions about the tribunal and its global jurisdiction spilled into open hostility, amid threats of sanctions if it investigates U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
DCS case featuring sex with case manager reversed
Indiana trial courts and the Department of Child Services have once again been chastised for denying due process rights in a termination of parental rights case in which a DCS case manager had a sexual relationship with a case client.
Ruling for insurer in Evansville firm’s $7.2M indemnity suit upheld
An Evansville-based plastic supplier’s insurer is not required to indemnify the company against a $7.2 million jury award for producing a defective product, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Monday.
Infant laid to rest 2 years after death in college dorm tub
An infant who died after his mother delivered him in a Manchester University bathtub in 2016 has been laid to rest in northern Indiana less than two months after his Elkhart mother plead guilty in relation to his death.
Peru courthouse elevator repaired after 3 months
A broken elevator at the Miami County Courthouse in Peru has been repaired after being broken for more than three months, creating problems for people who couldn’t walk up three flights of stairs to pay taxes or attend court hearings.
Kavanaugh confirmation fight rallies Democrats to resistance
Democrats don’t have the votes to block Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, but that didn’t stop them from putting up a rowdy, leave-nothing-on-the-table fight during four days of Senate confirmation hearings that marked a new stage in the party’s resistance to President Donald Trump.
Jury selection set in man’s trial in motel manager’s killing
A southwestern Indiana man accused of fatally shooting a motel's manager following an argument is heading to trial.
Indiana high court to consider city rental registration fee
The Indiana Supreme Court is preparing to review the constitutionality of a 2015 state law targeting the city of Hammond’s rental registration revenue.
Supreme Court: E-filing now covers 90 percent of state
Electronic filing now covers 90 percent of Indiana trial courts and nearly 80 percent of the state’s caseload is now handled through the Odyssey case management system, the Indiana Supreme Court highlighted Monday with the release of its annual report. The annual report includes a broad statistical overview of the work of the court during the 2017-2018 fiscal year.
Sheriff wants to use trailers to solve jail overcrowding
A central Indiana sheriff has a novel solution for jail overcrowding: lock inmates up in semi-trailers next to the jail in Greenfield.
Senate concludes Kavanaugh hearing; confirmation likely
After two marathon days questioning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, senators concluded his confirmation hearing Friday by listening to others talk about him — friends stressing his fairness and warmth but opponents warning he’d roll back abortion rights and shield President Donald Trump. Senators on the Judiciary Committee are likely to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Sept. 20 with a vote by the full Senate the following week.
Lack of evidence fails man’s drug, credit time appeal
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a man’s sentence was not inappropriate in light of his character and found the trial court didn’t err in calculating his credit time. The panel found the man failed to provide compelling evidence for both arguments.
Appeals on Wheels: COA heads south to hear arguments
The Indiana Court of Appeals will travel south next week to hear oral arguments in two cases involving convictions following the seizure of drugs and guns.
COA slams courts, DCS for violating parents’ due process
The Indiana Court of Appeals reiterated harsh words at the Department of Child Services and Indiana trial courts after reversing another case involving a failure to afford due process protections to families in termination of parental rights cases.
FedEx drivers get tentative $13.3M ERISA settlement
A proposed workplace-benefits settlement of more than $13.3 million for Federal Express drivers who were wrongly classified as contractors rather than employees has been approved by an Indiana federal judge overseeing a nationwide docket of employment suits against the delivery service.
Federal court dismisses suit challenging Charter School Act
A First Amendment lawsuit alleging Indiana’s Charter School Acts violates certain religious protections will no longer proceed after a district court judge found the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the Establishment Clause complaint.
Red Masses scheduled around the state
Catholic dioceses around Indiana are preparing to celebrate the traditional Red Mass in coming weeks. Special receptions will follow each service and feature keynote speakers discussing an array of topics of interest to the legal community.
Reversal: Special PCR judge had authority to modify sentence
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a post-conviction court’s ruling after it found a special judge erred when he granted his own motion to correct error based on his belief he did not have the authority to accept an agreement between the defendant and the state.
COA reverses murderer’s post-conviction relief
Post-conviction relief was revoked from a man convicted of murder and sentenced to 141 years in prison after the Indiana Court of Appeals found res judicata barred him from making a claim for relief.