US inmate scheduled to be executed tests positive for virus
A federal prisoner scheduled to be executed just days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office has tested positive for coronavirus, his lawyer said Thursday.
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Southern District suspends in-person trials till March
The Indiana Southern District Court has suspended all in-person jury trials until next year, a move announced just days after the Indiana Supreme Court implemented the same restrictions in state court due to the pandemic. Federal in-person jury trials in the Northern District also have been continued until at least late January.
Feds seek 15-month prison term for former Whiting mayor
Federal prosecutors are recommending a 15-month prison sentence for the former mayor of Whiting, who pleaded guilty to fraud and a tax crime.
Justices order review of Colorado, New Jersey worship limits
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered lower federal courts in Colorado and New Jersey to reexamine state restrictions on indoor religious services to combat the coronavirus in light of the justices’ recent ruling in favor of churches and synagogues in New York.
Obama-era DACA program faces new court challenge
A federal court next week is expected to consider whether to invalidate a program that shields from deportation immigrants brought to the United States as children, potentially creating complications for the incoming administration of President-elect Joe Biden.
Men convicted in 70s-themed armed robberies lose resentencing appeal
Two men who committed a string of armed robberies in 2015 while donning 1970s-themed disguises could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that their new sentences should be reversed.
7th Circuit vacates judgment, dismisses HOA debt dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed a dispute over unpaid homeowners’ association fees, finding that a letter sent to a couple who owed thousands to their HOA did not cause them any concrete harm.
Mothers in birth certificate case win at US Supreme Court
In an order issued Monday, the United States Supreme Court denied certiorari in an Indiana birth certificate case, ending the state’s long-running fight to prevent non-birth mothers in same-sex marriages from being listed as a parent on their children’s birth certificates.
US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2
The Trump administration continued its series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard.
Federal judge casts doubt on Indiana lawyers’ Trump Wisconsin lawsuit
A federal judge Thursday cast doubt on President Donald Trump’s lawsuit filed by Indiana Lawyers that seeks to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in Wisconsin, saying siding with Trump would be “the most remarkable ruling in the history of this court or the federal judiciary.”
Inmate scheduled for Thursday execution asks 7th Circuit for a stay
With mere hours left before his scheduled execution, Brandon Bernard is awaiting a decision from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that could delay his death by lethal injection.
Indiana attorneys for Trump at Wisconsin election challenge hearing today
President Donald Trump’s legal team from Kroger Gardis & Regas LLP in Indianapolis will be appearing in federal court in Wisconsin today as the attorneys try to overturn the November election results that showed President-elect Joe Biden won the Badger state.
Judge declines to stop federal executions because of COVID
A federal judge in Indiana has declined to put a hold on upcoming federal executions, finding that although the executions likely present a COVID-related risk, the inmates who sued to stop the executions have not shown that they personally will be at risk of contracting the virus.
Judge dismisses Flynn case following pardon from Trump
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed the criminal case against former Trump administration national security adviser Michael Flynn but pointedly noted that a pardon Flynn received from the president last month does not mean that he is innocent.
DNC asks judge to toss Trump Wisconsin election suit filed by Indy firm
The Democratic National Committee has moved to intervene in a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of President Donald Trump by an Indianapolis law firm seeking to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s election victory in Wisconsin. The judge in the case has set proceedings for later this week.
Trump thought courts were key to winning. Judges disagreed.
President Donald Trump and his allies say their lawsuits aimed at reversing his loss to Joe Biden would be substantiated, if only judges were allowed to hear the cases. But judges have heard the cases and have been among the harshest critics of the legal arguments put forth by Trump’s legal team.
Blind voters claim Indiana absentee voting system is discriminatory
A group of blind Hoosiers and their advocates have filed a lawsuit against Indiana, claiming the state’s absentee voting scheme that forces them to “permit virtual strangers to fill out their ballots” violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Southern District Court announces appointment of newest magistrate judge
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana announced its newest magistrate judge on Friday, who will help alleviate the overwhelming caseload faced by one of the busiest federal court districts in the country.
Trial in West Virginia federal opioid lawsuit postponed indefinitely
A federal judge in West Virginia has indefinitely postponed a trial date in a lawsuit filed by the city of Huntington and Cabell County over the opioid crisis.
Trump loves to win but keeps losing election lawsuits
For a man obsessed with winning, President Donald Trump is losing a lot. He’s managed to lose not just once to Democrat Joe Biden at the ballot box but over and over again in courts across the country in a futile attempt to stay in power.