Supreme Court rules against Georgia in copyright dispute
The Supreme Court ruled Monday against the state of Georgia in a copyright lawsuit over annotations to its legal code, finding they cannot be copyrighted.
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Lawmakers support additional funding for legal aid as ILS receives $1M
Indiana Legal Services will be receiving a booster shot of just over $1 million as part of the additional $50 million in funding Congress allotted to legal aid providers across the country during the COVID-19 emergency. Meanwhile, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers are pushing for another appropriation.
Justices extend trial court relief through May 17, require transition plans by May 15
The Indiana Supreme Court is extending through May 17 the previously approved emergency relief orders issued to trial courts due to COVID-19. Justices are also setting a May 15 deadline for courts to submit transition plans for expanded operations.
Case against Indy attorney to proceed after client wins reversal
An Indianapolis attorney being sued by a former client in a post-conviction relief case faced a reversal Monday after the Indiana Court of Appeals found that the client’s complaint alleging violations of certain canons of the Rules of Professional Conduct did not deprive the trial court of jurisdiction over the case.
Reversal: Indianapolis not indemnified against wrongful-death suit
A landscaping contractor for the city of Indianapolis does not have to defend the city in a citizen’s wrongful-death lawsuit, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday, reversing in favor of the tree-services company.
COA affirms award of custody to non-surrogate mother, against father
A father fighting against the award of custody of his child to his ex-wife did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that a mistake had been made.
Indiana man guilty of threatening, sending dead rat to ex-wife in Florida
An Indiana man faces up to five years in federal prison for threatening his ex-wife over several years and mailing a dead rat to her Florida home. Romney Christopher Ellis, 55, of Indianapolis, pleaded guilty Thursday in Tampa federal court to making interstate threats and mailing injurious articles, according to court records.
Michigan wins appeal over out-of-state liquor shipments after suit from Indiana retailer
Retailers outside Michigan can’t send alcohol directly to the state’s consumers, a federal appeals court said, a ruling that impacts at least one Indiana alcohol retailer.
Interviews for 13 applying to succeed Baker on COA reset for June
Candidates seeking to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Indiana Court of Appeals due to Judge John Baker’s pending retirement will now be interviewed in June, the Indiana Supreme Court announced on Friday.
Justices reject EPA’s narrow view of Clean Water Act
The US Supreme Court ruled Thursday that sewage plants and other industries cannot avoid environmental requirements under landmark clean-water protections when they send dirty water on an indirect route to rivers, oceans and other navigable waterways.
US Supreme Court sides with government in immigration case
The US Supreme Court is making it harder for noncitizens who are authorized to live permanently in the United States to argue they should be allowed to stay in the country if they’ve committed crimes.
Sizing up Trump’s green-card halt: Is it just temporary?
President Donald Trump says a suspension of green cards is necessary at a time when unemployment has climbed to levels last seen during the Great Depression. But critics dismissed the move as the president’s veiled attempt to achieve cuts to legal immigration and to distract voters from his handling of the pandemic.
CHINS ruling upheld despite impermissible phone testimony
A child in need of services adjudication was upheld Thursday by the Indiana Court of Appeals after it found that the admission of testimony by phone from a doctor amounted to harmless error.
COA: K-9 sniff did not prolong traffic stop
A defendant was unable to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that while the police were justified in pulling him over, they violated his constitutional rights by detaining him and conducting a dog sniff after the initial traffic stop had been completed.
Lake County property buyer wins appeal after township altered building
A Lake County court ruling for a township that removed light fixtures and historical artifacts from a building it sold after the property had already been purchased was reversed by the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday.
Ex-exec loses noncompete appeal, must pay company’s appellate fees
A former co-owner of a Fort Wayne mechanical contracting business who violated noncompete agreements by consulting for a Fishers competitor after he was fired lost his appeal Thursday and was ordered to pay more of his former employer’s legal fees.
Indiana courts may livestream proceedings during COVID-19 emergency
The Indiana Supreme Court has issued an order authorizing livestreaming of court proceedings during the coronavirus emergency. The order relaxes longstanding rules prohibiting the broadcasting of live court sessions to balance the public interest in judicial transparency while access to courts is restricted, justices said.
COA affirms judgment for Indy car dealership in sale dispute
A consulting company could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that it was entitled to judgment as a matter of law in an Indianapolis car dealership dispute that it lost.
COA partially reverses for father in child expenses dispute
A northern Indiana father failed to convince the Indiana Court of Appeals that child custody and support rulings in his divorce proceedings were erroneous, though the court did agree with his challenges to medical expenses and home equity findings.
Pandemic nudges SCOTUS to hear first arguments by phone
This is how the United States Supreme Court embraces technology: slowly. It took a worldwide pandemic for the court to agree to hear arguments over the telephone, with audio available live for the first time. C-SPAN plans to carry the arguments.