Santa Fe judge steps aside after insulting prosecutor
A judge in Santa Fe, New Mexico has removed himself from a high-profile case after telling a prosecutor a case might be above his pay grade.
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Officer’s mistrial in Baltimore death a letdown for both sides
As jurors deliberated the fate of one of six police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, Baltimore braced for a possible repeat of the protests, destruction and dismay that engulfed the city in April, when Gray died of a broken neck in the back of a police van. But instead of a dramatic conclusion, there was confusion.
Japanese court says married couples have no right to separate names
Japan’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a law forcing couples to have the same name after marriage is not a breach of the constitution, lawyers for the plaintiffs said, upholding a system in place since the 19th century.
5 officials want judge to block Indiana conflicts law
Five municipal employees in northwestern Indiana are asking a state court judge to block a law that prohibits them from holding elected office in the same city or town.
COA strikes sentence about laughing jurors in footnote
That jurors laughed at times during a handwriting expert’s testimony in a case contesting probate of a will has been removed from the official court opinion. The Court of Appeals made the move in a rehearing opinion issued Wednesday.
Justices affirm ruling for school in fired principal’s suit
An elementary school principal whose administrator’s contract was canceled after school officials learned of his affair with a teacher received constitutional due process in his termination proceedings, the Indiana Supreme Court affirmed Tuesday.
ALJ correct in finding nurses, phlebotomists are employees
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed an administrative law judge’s decision that certain workers were employees of a consulting business, and so the company was liable for additional unemployment taxes.
Judge: Indianapolis house blast defendant to keep lawyers
A judge has rejected a request by a defendant in an Indianapolis house explosion that killed two people to dismiss his attorneys and represent himself one month before his trial is scheduled to begin.
Blended gasoline raises question of tax exemption
A convenience store’s process for mixing two grades of gasoline left too many questions unanswered for the Indiana Tax Court to determine if the equipment used in the blending process was tax exempt.
Indiana’s cold beer prohibition survives rational-basis review
Finding retailers did not meet their burden in attempting to overturn one of Indiana’s quirky alcohol laws, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the state’s limits on the sale of cold beer is not unconstitutional.
Attorney questions if schools complied with Nativity ruling
An attorney who filed a lawsuit that led to a federal judge banning a northern Indiana school district from including a live Nativity scene in its annual Christmas show says he believes the district's use of mannequins instead of student actors had many of the same constitutional flaws.
Ex-Subway pitchman Jared Fogle appealing child porn sentence
Former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle is appealing the more than 15-year prison sentence he received for possessing child pornography and having sex with underage prostitutes, which was longer than the maximum term prosecutors agreed to pursue as part of his plea deal.
Fraud claims against insurers wrongly dismissed
Plaintiffs who purchased cash-value life insurance policies for their employees and deducted those contributions on income taxes that were later disallowed were wrongly denied their day in court against the insurers.
‘Inference of discriminatory motive’ in striking juror not reversible error
The Indiana Court of Appeals noted one of a prosecutor’s reasons for striking a prospective juror in a criminal case “raises an inference of discriminatory motive,” but this was insufficient to reverse a man’s felony resisting law enforcement conviction.
2 recent cases in federal court showcase trademark treachery
A steel giant’s trade name was used to misrepresent business deals with the intent to procure millions of dollars worth of machinery and financing, and an Amish-country spice maker alleges a local rival is ripping off its registered trademark. These two recent cases in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana illustrate the difficulties in policing registered marks on intellectual property, but the cases also show the means of recovery at rights holders’ disposal when their IP marks are violated.
Patent reform law withstanding challenges
A battle between two tech companies put a key provision of the recent patent reform law on the firing line. But intellectual property attorneys were not surprised the patent holder attempted to knock out the administrative review process or that the attempt failed.
Beer distributor foams at Indiana’s alcohol law
Monarch Beverage launches another effort to upend limits on liquor wholesalers.
Law office whistleblower key in disbarment
The former office manager who blew the whistle on an Indianapolis lawyer disbarred recently by the Indiana Supreme Court said he paid a personal and professional price and endured threats from his ex-boss after reporting his egregiously unethical conduct.
7th Circuit upholds Indiana’s cold beer law
Cold beer will continue to be sold only by licensed liquor stores in Indiana. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld state law that prohibits convenience stores, gas stations and other retailers from selling beer cold.
Reversal: Host owed duty to guest who died after drinking, fight
The host of a birthday party for her live-in boyfriend had a duty to render aid to a guest she saw unconscious after he’d been drinking and involved in a fight, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled. The man later died.