Prisoner’s 2241 petition again fails in 7th Circuit
A federal prisoner trying to challenge his sentence has again tripped over procedure and lost his second appeal before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
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COA advice: Leave affirmation out of jury instructions
A man’s convictions of battery and disorderly conduct will stand, but the Indiana Court of Appeals cautioned trial courts that including law enforcement affirmations in jury instructions should not, calling the practice “undesirable and completely avoidable.”
Feds: Charleston church shooting suspect ‘self-radicalized’
A white man charged with the shooting deaths of nine black churchgoers in Charleston "self-radicalized" in the months before the attack and grew more entrenched in his beliefs in white supremacy, according to court papers prosecutors filed this week in federal court.
Ex-Fox News host sues Roger Ailes, others
Former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros has charged in a lawsuit she was sexually harassed by former network chief Roger Ailes and other top executives.
Was painting by famed living artist? US judge to decide
A federal judge in Chicago is set to issue a verdict in a peculiar civil trial over a celebrated Scottish-born artist's insistence that he did not paint a landscape work that was once valued at more than $10 million.
Workplace harassment endures, evolves
Despite decades of on-the-job training for workers and numerous high-profile lawsuits, harassment by managers and co-workers persists. Though the number of sexual harassment claims has declined in recent years, companies still get hit with thousands of lawsuits alleging harassment of some kind each year.
7th Circuit opinion highlights confusion over LGBT discrimination protection
Within the first nine pages of its opinion, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s ruling that sexual orientation is not protected by Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. And there, the panel could have ended its discussion. But the court spotlighted the growing confusion in the courts of when, exactly, sexual orientation crosses the line into gender nonconformity.
Swearing in Slaughter
A photo from the Aug. 11 investiture ceremony of Justice Geoffrey Slaughter.
Willis takes first administrative lead role in state’s judiciary
Mary Willis is known in the Indiana judiciary for going beyond the day-to-day duties of a trial court judge — a mover and shaker who seemed a natural choice for the newly created position of chief administrative officer for the Indiana Supreme Court.
Split COA reverses sex conviction on ‘Romeo and Juliet’ grounds
The majority of a Court of Appeals panel reversed the conviction of a young man who claimed he was wrongly denied an opportunity to present Indiana’s “Romeo and Juliet” law as an affirmative defense to a charge of sexual misconduct with a minor.
City owes man legal fees for ‘meritless, possibly frivolous’ case
The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the city’s Office of Corporation Counsel pursued a ‘wholly meritless, possibly frivolous argument’ in a public-records case, the Court of Appeals ruled Monday. The city will pay the legal fees of a man who sued to obtain records after he was denied.
Angie’s List agrees to settle class-action suit for $1.4 million
Angie's List Inc. has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit claiming it manipulated search results and ratings to favor advertisers—claims that the home-services company denies.
Appeals panel overturns man’s trespass conviction
An Indianapolis man who had lived with his father with the consent of the senior apartment complex where he resided should not have been convicted of trespass after he was ordered to leave, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in overturning a bench trial verdict.
Groups cite inadequate funds to defend death row inmate
Five legal groups are supporting a Missouri death row inmate, whose execution was halted hours before it was to be carried out in 2014, saying that he can't receive an adequate defense with the money allocated.
Judge in Texas temporarily blocks Obama’s transgender rules
A federal judge in Austin, Texas, is blocking for now the Obama administration's directive to U.S. public schools that transgender students must be allowed to use the bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity.
Terre Haute man charged with robbing ‘Pokemon Go’ players
Police have arrested a Terre Haute man in connection with a "Pokemon Go" robbery on the Indiana State University campus.
Attorneys argue Indiana death penalty unconstitutional
Attorneys for a Lake County man who faces charges in the deaths of seven women have argued in court filings that the state of Indiana's death penalty law is unconstitutional.
Dissent: PO reversal ‘insulates’ domestic violence perpetrators
An ex-husband’s actions that prompted a woman to get a protective order against him did not constitute stalking or threatening behavior sufficient to warrant the court order, the majority of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel ruled Friday. A dissenting judge warned the holding “insulates perpetrators of domestic violence” who threaten friends or associates of former partners.
Carmel doctor found not guilty of charges from 2014 DEA raid
A Carmel doctor has been found not guilty of charges stemming from a high-profile Drug Enforcement Administration raid involving several medical clinics.
Imam, Islamic Society entitled to fees from deposed member
A man who was drummed out of the Islamic Society of Michiana’s board of directors filed a combative, confusing brief demonstrating bad faith when he appealed a trial court’s dismissal of his pro se suit seeking $5.2 million in damages. Now he’s on the hook for damages.