Articles

Senate confirms Judge Tanya Walton Pratt

Marion Superior Judge Tanya Walton Pratt has just received confirmation from the U.S. Senate, meaning she'll become state's
first African-American federal judge and one of four female jurists on Indiana's federal bench.

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Senate to vote on Judge Pratt Tuesday

The U.S. Senate plans to vote on a Marion Superior judge’s nomination for the federal bench on Tuesday, according to
a spokesman in Sen. Evan’s Bayh’s office. Senators agreed Thursday to consider the nomination of Marion Superior
Judge Tanya Walton Pratt, whom the president chose in January for the Southern District of Indiana to succeed Judge David
F. Hamilton. Judge Hamilton was elevated to the federal appeals bench late last year.

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Judicial appointments a hot topic at 7th Circuit conference

This year’s 7th Circuit Bar Association and Judicial Conference for the 7th Circuit featured a more historic tone because
of the high-profile roster of legal community leaders who attended, as well as offering tidbits about how the Indianapolis
federal courthouse will soon be going green, how the state’s Southern District is hoping for a new full-time magistrate,
and a call to action for Hoosier judges and attorneys to get more involved in a new e-discovery program under way.

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Newspapers join fight to unseal Durham records

The Indianapolis Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal have joined the legal fight to unseal search-warrant documents related to the federal investigation of businessman Tim Durham and Akron, Ohio-based Fair Finance Co. The IBJ is a sister publication of Indiana Lawyer.

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Law school reject sues to take bar exam

An Indianapolis man is suing the state Supreme Court justices and Board of Law Examiners because he believes he should be able to take the bar exam even if he didn't go to law school.

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Senators postpone votes on Hoosier nominees

Thanks in part to the high-profile health-care summit today, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee postponed votes this morning on three Indiana judicial nominees and a Bloomington law professor being considered for a key Department of Justice spot.

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Judge blocks DCS rate changes for now

A federal judge in Indianapolis has temporarily blocked the Indiana Department of Child Services from reducing the amounts
it pays to foster and adoptive parents and juvenile-service providers.

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Suit claims courthouse violates ADA

Four defendants in cases pending before the St. Joseph Superior Court have filed a lawsuit claiming that county's courthouse is inaccessible for people with disabilities

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Minister sues Christian bookstore

A Northwestern Indiana minister has filed a lawsuit against a Christian bookstore claiming racial discrimination when he was told to leave the store and that he would be arrested if he ever returned.

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Plea puts stop to federal death penalty trial

The first-ever federal death penalty trial for the Southern District of Indiana was set to start today, but a plea agreement means a trial likely won't be happening at all for a man connected to a violent killing spree four years ago.

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Judge orders shutdowns of plant units

A federal judge in Indianapolis has ordered the shutdown of three units at a Terre Haute coal-fired power plant because of clean air violations committed almost two decades ago.

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