Justices rule against Montana homeowners near Superfund site
The United States Supreme Court delivered a setback Monday to Montana homeowners who are seeking additional cleanup of arsenic left over from years of copper smelting.
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Lacking US coordination, states including Indiana team up on when to reopen
President Donald Trump, in a roller-coaster week of reversals and contradictions, told governors to “call your own shots” on lifting stay-at-home orders once the coronavirus threat subsides. But then he took to Twitter to push some to reopen their economies quickly and tell them it was their job to ramp up testing.
Indiana, 6 regional states to partner on reopening the economy
Seven Midwestern governors announced Thursday that they will coordinate on reopening their state economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, after similar pacts were made in the Northeast and on the West Coast.
New pressure on lawmakers as virus aid for firms hits limit
With a key coronavirus rescue fund exhausted, lawmakers faced new pressure Thursday to break a stalemate over President Donald Trump’s $250 billion emergency request to replenish the program that helps small businesses keep workers on their payroll.
Charlestown zoo owner loses bid to reinstate federal license, overturn $340K fine
The owner of an embattled Charlestown roadside zoo has lost his bid to overturn an order revoking his federal exhibitor’s license and requiring him to pay more than $300,000 in civil penalties.
Federal Circuit tweaks statute to overcome constitutionality concerns with administrative patent judges
On Halloween 2019, a constitutional argument against the process for challenging patents not only convinced a federal appellate court but also inspired the judges to offer their own fix to the statute.
Brown: Patent priorities, trademark cautions for the eco-focused
Earth Day is upon us, and the World Intellectual Property Organization has announced a theme of “Innovate for a Green Future” for World Intellectual Property Day on April 26. Christopher Brown offers two bits of eco-minded intellectual property law.
Sew it goes: Lawyers aid communities during pandemic
For the past several weekends, a sewing machine has been on Julie Andrews’ kitchen table. The Cohen & Malad attorney broke out her old friend, dusted it off and gave the machine a whirl after deciding to sew protective face masks for those on the front lines of tackling the novel coronavirus pandemic.
From engineering to law school: IU McKinney 1L forging new career as first IP Law Scholar
Laine Gonzalez has the distinction of being IU McKinney’s first IP Law Scholar, a program in partnership with Brinks Gilson & Lione designed to train the next generation of intellectual property lawyers.
‘We don’t have a king’: Backlash at Trump’s authority claims
Invoking the movie “Mutiny on the Bounty,” President Donald Trump suggested Tuesday that objections by governors to his claim of absolute authority over when to lift guidelines aimed at fighting the coronavirus were tantamount to insurrection.
Advocates warn stimulus checks could be garnished by creditors
While the federal government won’t seize stimulus checks being deposited into Americans’ bank accounts this week for owed debts, private debt collectors might, consumer advocates are warning.
Nursing home deaths soar past 3,600 in alarming surge
More than 3,600 deaths nationwide have been linked to coronavirus outbreaks in nursing homes and long-term care facilities, an alarming rise in just the past two weeks, according to the latest count by The Associated Press.
AG Hill leads fight to preserve fetal tissue ban
The coronavirus crisis has renewed the battle over fetal tissue research, with Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill leading the effort to preserve the ban on federal funding.
NTSB: Schools share blame for Rochester crash that killed 3 children
The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that a northern Indiana school district is partially to blame for a 2018 crash that killed three siblings crossing a rural highway to reach their stopped school bus.
Justice Department suit alleges Anthem overbilled in its popular Medicare Advantage plans
A new lawsuit alleges that Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc., one of the nation’s largest providers of Medicare Advantage plans for seniors, defrauded the U.S. government of millions of dollars over four years by falsely certifying the accuracy of incorrect diagnosis data from doctors and other health providers.
Stimulus package includes more money for legal aid
Included in the $2 trillion stimulus package passed by the U.S. Senate on Wednesday is a $50 million appropriation to the Legal Services Corp., which is bracing for a spike in legal needs among those with low income as the economy buckles under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic.
State moves to restrict access to big cats in Charlestown zoo
The state of Indiana has completed its first inspection of a controversial Charlestown roadside zoo and is asking a judge for a restraining order meant to protect zoo employees and volunteers, as well as the public.
Indiana legislators pass bill seeking to deregulate wetlands
Indiana’s protections for certain wetlands would end under legislation state lawmakers approved in the waning hours of their session, even though the state’s own environmental agency joined environmentalists in opposing the measure.
Justices allow ‘remain in Mexico’ asylum policy to continue
The Supreme Court of the United States on Wednesday said it would allow the Trump administration to continue enforcing a policy that makes asylum-seekers wait in Mexico for U.S. court hearings, despite lower court rulings that the policy probably is illegal.
Trucker awarded nearly $900K after Lawrenceburg post office fall
The United States government has been ordered to pay nearly $900,000 to a disabled truck driver who suffered brain and spinal injuries after a fall at an Indiana post office.