Holcomb orders flags lowered to honor slain Boone deputy
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is directing that flags be lowered to half-staff in four counties in honor of slain Boone County sheriff’s Deputy Jacob Pickett on the day of his funeral.
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Appellate court upholds dissolution decree in ‘fierce’ divorce case
In a ruling on a contentious divorce case that involved parties “exploiting the judicial system to its fullest extent,” the Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the provisions of the Sullivan Circuit Court’s dissolution order.
Indiana law school deans part of effort to revamp clerkship hiring
The deans of Indiana’s four law schools were part of the successful push to change hiring practices for federal judicial clerkship and allow first year students to concentrate on “learning for its own sake.”
COA orders transfer of motor carrier suit to Kosciusko County
The Marion Superior Court must transfer a case against a commercial motor carrier to Kosciusko County after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the northern Indiana county is the preferred venue.
Timeliness hurdle blocks attempt to intervene in consent decree
Although a federal judge sympathized the with East Chicago residents who have been waiting years for their neighborhoods to be decontaminated, he ultimately held that their quest to intervene in a consent decree was untimely.
Settlement with polluting East Chicago coke plant offers complex resolution
The consent decree reached between the state of Indiana, the federal government and the metallurgical coke manufacturers in East Chicago is 69 pages of terms and conditions detailed in dense legal and scientific language.
Disciplinary Actions — 3/7/2018
Read the latest disciplinary actions from the latest reporting period.
Indiana Court decisions – Feb. 15-28, 2018
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the latest reporting period.
Criminal Justice: What does it take to make an obstruction case?
We know all too well by now that making a single false statement to law enforcement is a crime, but what does it take to tip the scale toward “obstruction of justice”?
ACLU report finds alarming rights abuses by law enforcement, judges
Getting into debt is easy, but people who fall behind in payments can find themselves fending off aggressive debt collectors, acquiescing courts and even incarceration.
Jail chemical addiction programs show promise, but few are offered
Boone County is one of fewer than half a dozen counties in the state with a jail chemical addiction program. The program is voluntary and completely funded by court fees.
Divided COA reverses unemployment tax ruling
An Indiana business will not have to pay unemployment insurance taxes on wages paid to an independent contractor after a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals found the contractor was not statutorily considered the business’ “employee.”
Appellate court remands for amended Abstract of Judgment
An Indiana trial court must enter an amended Abstract of Judgment for an offender recommended for the Indiana Department of Correction’s Purposeful Incarceration program after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the initial order did not explicitly allow for a sentence modification.
COA: PCR records can be expunged
The Indiana Court of Appeals has overturned the denial of a man’s request for expungement of his post-conviction relief proceedings after determining the Allen Superior Court erred in finding PCR records are not covered by Indiana’s expungement statutes.
Indiana man acquitted of shooting 2 near Illinois nightclub
Jurors have acquitted an Indianapolis man who was charged with killing one man and wounding another outside a nightclub in the eastern Illinois city of Danville nearly four years ago.
Divided 7th Circuit upholds dismissal of transgender man’s name-change suit
A Mexican native with asylum in the United States cannot continue with his suit against various Indiana officials challenging the citizenship requirement in Indiana’s name-change statute after a divided panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found he lacked standing to bring his case.
Appellate court rejects constitutional challenge to synthetic drug lookalike statutes
The Indiana Court of Appeals has struck down a constitutional challenge to the state’s synthetic drug lookalike statutes, finding the statutes cannot be considered void as applied to a Tippecanoe County drug case.
COA upholds 2016 murder conviction
A man convicted in the 2016 murder of his ex-girlfriend’s husband has lost his appeal before the Indiana Court of Appeals, which found the trial court did not err in excluding proffered evidence the man sought to admit supporting his self-defense claim.
E-filing begins in Fishers City Court
The Fishers City Court has become the most recent to implement electronic filing as the Indiana Supreme Court nears the end of its push to roll out e-filing across the state.
Pryor joins Southern District as magistrate judge
A new magistrate judge has begun her duties in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, filling a vacancy created by the August death of Magistrate Judge Denise K. LaRue.