Federal lawsuit challenges Notre Dame’s birth control rules
A lawsuit has been filed in Indiana challenging Notre Dame University’s plan to make health plan members share in birth control costs.
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Judge: Separated families must be reunited within 30 days
A judge in California on Tuesday ordered U.S. border authorities to reunite separated immigrant families within 30 days, setting a hard deadline in a process that has so far yielded uncertainty about when children might again see their parents.
Men charged in ATF agent’s shooting plead not guilty
Two men have pleaded not guilty to federal charges in Hammond stemming from an Indiana shootout that killed a third man and wounded an agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Indiana abortion laws challenged by national abortion advocates
Indiana’s abortion laws are once again being challenged in federal court, this time by national healthcare and abortion providers. Whole Woman’s Health Alliance and All-Options Pregnancy Resource Center filed suit on Thursday as co-plaintiffs in a case against the state, challenging the constitutionality of Indiana abortion laws.
7th Circuit begins search for bankruptcy judge ahead of Lorch retirement
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has begun the search for the next Indiana Southern District Bankruptcy Court judge as a current judge prepares to retire.Judge Basil J. Lorch III will soon vacate his position at the Southern District Bankruptcy Court after announcing his retirement in 2016.
Vote on Indiana federal judicial nominees held over
The nominees for the Northern and Southern Indiana district courts will have to wait at least another week before they receive a vote from the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. The committee unanimously agreed Thursday to hold over a host of nominees to the federal bench, including Holly Brady and James Patrick Hanlon, nominees for the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts, respectively.
Potential Manafort jurors could be asked about IRS, Ukraine
Prosecutors in special counsel Robert Mueller’s office want to ask potential jurors at the upcoming trial of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort about their views of the IRS and Ukraine, among other topics. Prosecutors submitted a request Thursday to use a 20-page jury questionnaire at the trial scheduled for next month in Alexandria, Virginia.
Congress told more Southern District judges needed
Judicial leaders reiterated the urgent need for additional judgeships in the Southern District of Indiana and elsewhere before a House subcommittee Thursday. The Southern District is struggling under the weight of increasing caseloads and saw a 30 percent increase in cases in 2017.
Southern District revises pending local rule amendments
A clerical revision was made to amended local rules for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana that will take effect July 1.
Jury awards $15M after Indiana cancer patient’s misread CT scan
A federal jury Friday awarded $15 million in damages on behalf of a woman who claimed a Carmel imaging center failed to identify a tumor that went untreated and undetected for nearly 18 months, severely reducing her chances of surviving cancer.
Kentucky man sentenced to 30 days for assault on congressman
A Kentucky man who had “had enough” of his congressman neighbor edging too close to his yard has been sentenced to 30 days in prison after he ran onto Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s property and tackled him. Rene A. Boucher, 60, after he assaulted Paul on Nov. 3, 2017.
Mueller worries Russia could use court case to spy on probe
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team is worried that Russian intelligence services will use a criminal case in Washington, D.C., to gather information about its investigation and U.S. intelligence-gathering methods. In court papers filed Tuesday, prosecutors asked a federal judge in D.C. to impose limits on the information that can be shared by attorneys in the first criminal case directly related to Russian attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
EPA must reply to suit over power plant pollution from Indiana, other states
A federal judge has ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to respond to Maryland's request for a declaration that power plants in five upwind states are contributing to Maryland’s air quality problems.
Prison doctor must face inmate suit as judge seeks counsel
A prison doctor must face a lawsuit from an inmate who claims the physician didn’t follow a surgeon’s orders for pain medication and physical therapy after the inmate’s back surgery. The judge in the case also said he would solicit counsel to represent the inmate going forward.
Trump lawyer Cohen hunts for new lawyers in FBI probe
Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, is searching for a new legal team to represent him in an FBI investigation of his business dealings.
Federal judge approves AT&T-Time Warner merger
A federal judge in Washington approved the $85 billion mega-merger of AT&T and Time Warner on Tuesday, potentially ushering in a wave of media consolidation while shaping how much consumers pay for streaming TV and movies.
Court orders former Cracker Barrel manager to arbitration
A former Indiana Cracker Barrel manager who sued the restaurant chain for disability discrimination and retaliation must arbitrate her claims against the restaurant after a federal judge compelled the employee to comply with an arbitration agreement she claims she never signed.
Court sees ‘high likelihood’ that Indiana’s voting law violates federal act
Three public advocacy groups have temporarily stopped the enforcement of Indiana’s 2017 voter registration law, which could potentially purge eligible voters from the rolls without providing them written notice. Judge Tanya Walton Pratt of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana granted a preliminary injunction prohibiting the state from implementing the 2017 version of Senate Enrolled Act 442.
Adviser who defrauded former Colt of $4.7M gets seven years in prison
A former financial adviser who admitted to defrauding former Indianapolis Colts defensive end Cory Redding out of $4.7 million was sentenced Friday to seven years in federal prison. Kenneth Ray Cleveland received the punishment after pleading guilty to federal fraud and money laundering charges.
ACLU arguing for injunction against abortion law taking effect July 1
An in-court battle over yet another Indiana abortion law will take place Friday when the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana will urge a district court judge to enter an injunction against portions of a law set to take effect in less than a month.