Courts
Articles
Fitness to parent raised in man’s fatal neglect appeal
A man whose 4-month-old son died of malnutrition asked an appeals court to consider whether he was mentally capable of caring for the child while also invoking the jury’s right to question witnesses in contesting his conviction and 37-year sentence.
Religious exemption at heart of employee pension disputes
A trio of cases pending before the Supreme Court of the United States, which could require more than $1 billion in new funding for certain employee pension plans, revolves around a central question: What is a church?
Paying dues under right-to-work
Drivers claim illegal union withholdings in case where checkoff cards are key.
Inside the Criminal Case: Race, talking to jurors and impeachment
As is typical in these articles, nine years of hard work by attorneys is summarized in three paragraphs and some writer like me says, “eventually this case landed before the United States Supreme Court.”
Bill in Congress targets class actions
Trial lawyers contend the legislation would gut court access; defense attorneys say reforms are overdue.
New task force meant to break down language barriers, aid court interpreters
As the number of litigants, witnesses or spectators requesting interpretation services continues to rise, the Indiana Supreme Court is taking steps to ensure those services are high-quality and far-reaching.
Disability claims approval getting tougher
New rules could set the evidence bar higher despite sharp court rebukes of claim denials.
Supreme Court seems divided in property-rights dispute
A divided U.S. Supreme Court struggled Monday over a property rights dispute that could make it tougher for state and local governments to limit development in coastal areas.
Two-year prison sentence affirmed for convict with leukemia
A divided 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the two-year sentence handed down to an older man being treated for leukemia, though the dissenting appellate judge had serious questions about the Bureau of Prisons’ ability to meet the man’s medical needs.
Tennessee death row inmates lose Supreme Court appeals
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected appeals of three Tennessee death-row inmates who say they should not be executed because they are intellectually disabled.
Justices won’t hear Menendez appeal in corruption case
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez’s appeal of his corruption indictment, setting the stage for a federal trial in the fall.
GOP chairman praises Gorsuch pick as confirmation opens
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee praised President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court pick on Monday for an “unfailing commitment” to the principle of separation of powers, as Judge Neil Gorsuch's confirmation hearing got underway.
Supreme Court rejects appeal of former Connecticut governor
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to disturb the convictions of former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland for conspiring to hide his work for two Republican congressional candidates, several years after he resigned from office and served prison time for corruption.
The doctrine sure to emerge in Gorsuch hearings
When Democrats question Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch at his Senate confirmation hearing next week, they'll probably ask a lot about something called "Chevron deference."
Court records sealed in Indiana homicide case
Court records have been sealed in a homicide case against an Indiana mother accused of smothering her two children.
COA orders new attempted murder trial
The Indiana Court of Appeals has ordered a new trial in a Greene County attempted murder case after finding the trial court incorrectly applied the standard of a “knowing” mens rea, rather than a “specific intent to kill.”
Supreme Court: Man allowed to view video of controlled drug buy with informant
A Vigo County man facing drug charges will now be able to review a video of a controlled drug buy between himself and an informant after the Indiana Supreme Court decided Friday that the disclosure of the video would be relevant and helpful to his case.
Dissent: Teen killer’s 110-year sentence warrants review
A man who was convicted of murdering two people in an East Chicago confrontation in 1996 when he was 16 is entitled by subsequent U.S. Supreme Court rulings to a fresh look at his sentence, a dissenting 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judge wrote.
Insurance company wasn’t required to cover late claim
An insurance company was not required to defend an Indiana doctor in a medical malpractice case because the applicable insurance policy had expired before the insurer received notice of the claim.