As money for justice declines, many don’t see potential cost
Persistent warnings about funding shortages for state and federal courts don’t appear to be registering with the public, a new poll concludes.
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Right to equal access at center of federal lawsuit
A courtroom spectator’s persistent requests to two trial courts for an interpreter raises questions of how accessible Indiana courts should be for people who have disabilities as well as how much control the state judiciary has over local judges.
Every defendant has a story
After 11 grueling years on the high-profile Camm murder case, attorney Stacy Uliana believes justice was served.
Public access to death records gets Supreme Court review
A newspaper denied a request to obtain information in death records from a local health department will have an opportunity to make its case before the Indiana Supreme Court.
Marion County courts closed Tuesday; state courts delayed
Marion County Circuit and Superior Courts in the Indianapolis City-County Building will be closed Tuesday in anticipation of dangerously cold weather. State court operations in Indianapolis, meanwhile, will delay opening until 10:30 a.m. Tuesday.
Automatic modification violates custody statute, COA rules
A trial court’s order automatically awarding custody of a minor child to the father was reversed by the Indiana Court of Appeals on the grounds the lower court’s decision violated the state’s custody modification statute.
Defendant entitled to cash bail refund under former statute
A pro se litigant convinced the Indiana Court of Appeals that he was entitled to a refund of a $250 cash bond. The COA reversed a Monroe Circuit order denying a motion for release of cash bond dating to 2003.
Appeals court affirms multiple sex-crimes, 100-year sentence
Multiple convictions were upheld Monday against a man who had threatened, confined and sexually assaulted three Indianapolis women he picked up after offering them money for sex.
COA vacates sex-abuse confinement conviction as double jeopardy
The Indiana Court of Appeals on Monday vacated a conviction of Class C felony criminal confinement for a man also convicted of Class B felony criminal deviate conduct, finding the lesser conviction resulted in double jeopardy.
Erroneous instruction on accomplice liability not enough to get conviction overturned
The Indiana Court of Appeals has split on whether erroneous jury instruction was a harmless error or gave the jurors another base for finding a defendant guilty of attempted murder.
Bill proposes modest Marion County small claims reforms
Modest reforms to the derided Marion County township small claims courts are proposed in a bill scheduled to get a committee hearing Wednesday.
7th Circuit bars Indianapolis’ hour limits on adult bookstores
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago has tossed an Indianapolis ordinance limiting the business hours of adult bookstores from 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday.
Supreme Court extends audio-video transcript pilot project
A pilot project in three Indiana courts that replaces written transcripts with audio/video camera recordings has been extended and expanded because two of the three courts haven’t generated the anticipated number of appeals necessary to evaluate the system.
COA Judge Riley to chair access to civil legal services panel
Court of Appeals Judge Patricia Riley has been appointed to chair the Commission to Expand Access to Civil Legal Services created last year by order of the Indiana Supreme Court.
Indiana Supreme Court appoints attorney to fill Judge Brown’s post
Indianapolis criminal defense attorney David Cook has been appointed as judge pro tempore to fill the duties of suspended Marion Superior Judge Kimberly Brown.
Divided panel: OWI-causing-death retrial not double jeopardy
A majority of an Indiana Court of Appeals panel upheld a man’s conviction and 14-year sentence for driving while intoxicated causing death, but a dissenting judge said the unusual case history that led to the outcome constituted double jeopardy.
Court affirms higher home assessment as compared to neighbors
The Indiana Tax Court Thursday affirmed the 2007 assessment of a property in an upscale community on Lake Michigan, rejecting the homeowner’s argument that the assessment should be lower because surrounding homes were assessed at a lower ratio when taking into account the prices at which the homes were sold.
Split opinion: Disclosure of insurance policy limit is reversible error
Ruling on an issue of first impression, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals on Friday rejected a jury’s award of $250,000 to the widow of a motorcyclist injured in a crash. The majority remanded for a new trial, holding that disclosure of uninsured motorist policy limits was irrelevant and prejudiced the jury.
Appeals panel upholds $3.9M verdict for bicyclist hit by school bus
A student riding his bicycle to school on Washington Street in Indianapolis was hit by a school bus and critically injured, and a jury’s $3.9 million judgment in his favor was proper, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday.
Judges reverse possession of meth, paraphernalia convictions
In a consolidated appeal, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed a Huntington County man’s convictions and sentences for possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, ruling the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence purportedly seized in violation of the Fourth Amendment.