7th Circuit upholds enhanced firearm sentence under ACCA
A firearm-related sentence that was enhanced by prior felonies has been affirmed, despite subsequent developments in the law that the defendant argued made his sentence inappropriate.
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Indiana casino approval delayed while state probes former Centaur execs
The Indiana Gaming Commission confirmed Friday that it is postponing approval of a new Indiana casino while it investigates allegations that top executives at former Indianapolis racino business Centaur Gaming were involved in directing illegal campaign contributions to an Indiana congressional candidate in 2015.
Feds say local gaming company conspired with GOP strategist to make illegal contributions
A Republican strategist who worked for an Annapolis, Maryland-based consulting firm has admitted to taking part in a scheme to funnel corporate contributions to political candidates — including former Indiana Sen. Brent Waltz when he ran for U.S. Congress in 2016 — in a case that is part of a federal crackdown on fraudulent political action committees.
7th Circuit remands one drug sentence enhancement, lets another stand
One of two men convicted as conspirators in an Indiana meth ring will be resentenced as a result of his appeal while the other man convicted in the scheme will serve his full 25-year sentence, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals held Wednesday.
Suit over federal executions likely headed back to SCOTUS
Death penalty experts say they expect justices of the United States Supreme Court ultimately will decide whether federal executions will resume at the United States Penitentiary in Terre Haute.
Judge orders sanctions against state attorney, DOC
Monetary sanctions potentially exceeding $100,000 and default judgment have been entered against state defendants and their attorney in a prisoner case that the presiding federal judge said “shattered” her trust in the defendants’ litigation practices.
Indianapolis district court to examine Booker T. Washington in Black History Month celebration
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana will celebrate Black History Month this year with the presentation of “Booker T. Washington Slept Here: African American Politics in Indiana in the Early 1900s.”
Judge calls Notre Dame’s third try at avoiding contraceptive mandate ‘absurd’
At times describing the defendants’ argument as bordering “on the absurd” and noting the policies are already causing injury, the Northern District of Indiana has blocked another attempt by the University of Notre Dame and federal agencies to limit women students’ access to contraceptives.
7th Circuit affirms Indianapolis man’s robbery convictions
A man found guilty of robbing three Indianapolis beauty stores and attempting to rob another could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that there wasn’t enough evidence to support his convictions, or that one did not qualify as a crime of violence under the Hobbs Act.
Former Carmel insurance firm employee charged with embezzling $2.1M
A former employee of Carmel-based Seven Corners Inc. has been indicted on a wire fraud charge for what prosecutors describe as a multiyear scheme that embezzled $2.1 million from the travel insurance company.
Former employee pleads guilty in $4.5M Cummins fraud case
A former employee accused of defrauding Indiana-based Cummins Inc. and other companies out of more than $4.5 million has pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud.
Southern District collects more than $3M in asset forfeiture in FY19
The Southern District of Indiana collected more than $10 million from criminal and civil actions and asset forfeitures in fiscal year 2019, with more than $3 million collected through asset forfeitures.
Indiana Southern District warns of scam callers posing as court staff
Hoosiers with cases pending before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana are being advised to steer clear of scam callers posing as court employees and requesting personal information.
7th Circuit affirms $35 million verdict for Hoosier woman in pelvic implant lawsuit
Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ethicon Inc. did not persuade the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a multi-million-dollar verdict for a northern Indiana woman who was injured by a transvaginal mesh implant produced by the company.
Southern District promotes new clerk from within
The US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has found a successor to its long-serving clerk, turning to a longtime servant of the court who currently works as its death penalty law clerk. Roger A.G. Sharpe will succeed retiring clerk Laura Briggs effective May 10, Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson said in a press release.
Cook Medical wins new trial in product lawsuit after judge admits he erred
A federal judge has vacated a $3 million jury award against Cook Medical, saying a Georgia woman who sued the Bloomington-based device maker “did not have overwhelming evidence” to show the company’s implanted blood-clot filter was defective or caused her injuries.
Religious retaliation, accommodation claims to continue against Brownsburg schools
A federal lawsuit alleging Brownsburg schools discriminated against a former teacher who refused to address transgender students by their chosen first names will continue with claims brought under Title VII, though 11 other state and federal constitutional claims against the school district were dismissed. The judge also cautioned both sides against efforts to expand the issues in the case to nonparty students.
Shelbyville man gets 200 years for child sexual exploitation
A man who pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography has been sentenced to 200 years in federal prison, the federal prosecutor’s office for the Southern District of Indiana announced.
PACER user group ready to begin work in February
Twelve individuals with backgrounds in the law, media, government and academia have been selected for the new PACER User Group, which will offer input and advice for improving the federal courts’ electronic docket system as well as other electronic public access services provided by the judicial branch.
IU prof denied summary judgement in nurse’s abortion retaliation case
A federal judge has denied a motion for summary judgment to an IU nursing professor on a First Amendment claim brought by an associate professor who alleges she was passed over for a teaching position at the school because of her pro-life views.