Articles

Southern Indiana federal court film nominated for 2 Emmys

The documentary about the federal courts in Indiana produced to mark the Southern Indiana District Court’s bicentennial in 2017 has been nominated for two Emmy Awards by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, Lower Great Lakes Chapter.

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Gary man pleads guilty, faces life term in 7 women’s deaths

A Gary man has avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty in the deaths of seven women and instead faces life in prison without parole. Darren Vann of Gary, Indiana, entered the guilty pleas during a surprise court hearing Friday in Crown Point. He will be sentenced May 25.

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Confinement conviction reversed; robbery, burglary counts stand

Burglary and robbery convictions against a man convicted in a Marion County break-in will stand, but related criminal confinement convictions must be vacated because the confinement was “part and parcel” of the underlying robbery, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.

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7th Circuit grants review to Indiana immigrant’s torture case

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered the Board of Immigration Appeals to re-examine a Honduras native’s case against his forced removal to his home country, finding the board did not adequately consider the man’s evidence of the threat of gang violence against him if he were returned home.

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Filings for bankruptcy continue to fall

Bankruptcy filings in federal courts continued their downward slide with more than 250,000 fewer cases filed for the year ending March 31, 2018, than were filed during the same period in 2014, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

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Gymnast sues USA Gymnastics, others over sex abuse

A former member of the U.S. national team on Tuesday became the latest gymnast to sue over sexual abuse by imprisoned former sports doctor Larry Nassar, alleging USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic Committee and the husband-and-wife duo who coached America’s top female gymnasts for three decades failed to protect her and other athletes.

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Justices to hear appeal of daughter disinherited from estate

The Indiana Supreme Court will hear an appeal from a Spencer County woman who claims she was disinherited by her stepmother from her father’s estate, from which her stepmom’s son later derived more than $3 million in mineral rights revenue from West Virginia properties he inherited.

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Landis, longtime head of Public Defender Council, to retire in July

Despite working on Indiana public defense reforms for 41 years, there are still goals Larry Landis wishes he could have accomplished before his impending retirement from the Indiana Public Defender Council. In a perfect world, Landis said his career would have led to more judicial sentencing discretion, a greater focus on mental health treatment, and a justice system that values restoration over punishment.

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