SCOTUS doesn’t take any Indiana cases
The Supreme Court of the United States has declined to take several Indiana cases, including a criminal appeal about whether a stun belt restraint on a defendant during trial and sentencing is prejudicial.
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PACER fee increase begins April 2012
The 2-cent increase per page to access electronic information on the Public Access to Court Electronic Records system will take effect April 1, 2012. The Judicial Conference of the United States authorized raising the fee to 10 cents a page to cover maintenance costs as well as to enhance the system.
Judges uphold admission of robbery confession
A trial court did not err in admitting evidence of uncharged misconduct from another incident during a defendant’s trial for robbery, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Monday. The evidence contained a letter that helped corroborate the man’s confession to the robbery.
Commission urges discipline for former Marion County prosecutor
The Indiana Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Commission wants the state’s highest court to find former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi committed misconduct when he made statements about two high-profile cases he handled as prosecutor.
Justices agree subsidiaries are not new employers
Emphasizing its ruling only deals with determining the proper merit rate for unemployment fund contributions, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled a manufacturer did not create employers through its new subsidiaries, so it wasn’t entitled to a lower rate.
Bankruptcy judges relocating
Beginning in October, three of the bankruptcy judges in the Southern District of Indiana will be relocating their courtrooms because of construction at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse.
SJCBA releases results of judicial survey
The St. Joseph County Bar Association has released the findings of its annual survey of Superior judges. The bar association conducts the survey each year even if no judges are up for retention, which is the case for 2011.
Appellate court to visit southern Indiana Oct. 4
Two panels from the Indiana Court of Appeals will hear arguments at universities in southern Indiana next week.
Justices suspend attorney for collecting ‘exploitive fee’
The Indiana Supreme Court has suspended an Indianapolis attorney after finding he engaged in attorney misconduct by collecting a “clearly unreasonable and exploitive fee” from a vulnerable client.
Court: CHINS fact-finding hearing required by due process
The Indiana Court of Appeals disagrees with the state Department of Child Services that fact-finding and dispositional hearings in a child in need of services case are interchangeable. The appellate panel has ruled a Marion County father’s due process rights were denied because he didn’t receive the opportunity for a fact-finding hearing.
Justices uphold murderer’s convictions
The Indiana Supreme Court has affirmed that a man will serve life in prison without parole for his role in the murders of seven people in Indianapolis in 2006.
Appeals court reverses judge on visitation ruling
The state’s intermediate appellate court has reversed a southern Indiana judge’s ruling that a boyfriend should retain visitation rights over an ex-girlfriend’s child. It ruled that the finding is contrary to law because lawmakers didn’t allow for that type of circumstance to warrant visitation.
Federal judge finds U.S. law preempts state ‘robo-call’ statute
The state is not able to prevent out-of-state entities from placing political calls to residents within Indiana because of an existing federal law, according to a federal judge’s ruling on Indiana’s auto-dialer statute.
Indiana asks U.S. Supreme Court to take health care law challenge
Indiana and 25 other states have filed a petition for writ of certiorari with the Supreme Court of the United States asking the nation’s highest court to rule on a lawsuit involving the Affordable Care Act.
BLE will strike broad question, revise other
The Indiana Supreme Court’s Board of Law Examiners is cutting one controversial question from its annual bar exam application and will revise another in order to comply with a federal judge’s recent ruling.
Township board OKs court move
The Center Township Board on Sept. 21 approved a plan to move the township’s small claims court from the downtown Indianapolis City-County Building to the Julia M. Carson Government Center despite a judge’s objection.
Unique court marks 10th anniversary
The state’s only community court marks its 10th anniversary this year with a celebration planned for Sept. 29.
Index shows poor voter engagement
On Sept. 14, results of the inaugural Civic Health Index were released to the public. The data shows that while Indiana is on-par with national standards in volunteerism, the state’s voter turnout and registration are among the lowest in the country.
Court OKs access to Odyssey data
In an order released Sept. 14, the Indiana Supreme Court detailed the process for obtaining bulk distribution of and remote access to the records of Indiana courts using the Odyssey case management system, which is gradually connecting all of Indiana’s trial courts.
Settlement resolves casino money cases
The six-year casino revenue litigation that sparked multiple lawsuits statewide, went to Indiana’s appellate courts multiple times, and led to legislative initiatives is coming to a close.