Ex-IURC leader’s criminal charges dropped
The former chairman of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission won’t face trial on felony charges stemming from an ethics scandal at the agency, a judge ruled Monday.
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Indiana Senate President takes call for Constitutional Convention to national audiences
Indiana Senate President Pro Tem David Long, R-Fort Wayne, is pushing for an Article V Constitutional Convention by speaking at national meetings and trying to garner support beyond Indiana.
Indiana takes lead in asking SCOTUS to reverse legislative prayer ban
Indiana and Texas are the lead authors of an amicus brief filed Friday that asks the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse a 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruling banning legislative prayer at the beginning of a government meeting.
Vanderburgh County requests new court magistrate
Seated alone at the table in front of the Indiana General Assembly’s Commission on Courts, Vanderburgh Circuit Judge David Kiely recently asked for a new magistrate in his court.
Brizzi hit with another legal malpractice suit
Defrocked Secretary of State Charlie White has sued Carl Brizzi, the former Marion County prosecutor who represented White during a criminal case that led to his removal from office. White’s lawsuit makes a claim of legal malpractice.
Forum on state’s new expungement law scheduled for Aug. 7
To address the confusion that has been growing since the state’s new expungement law took effect, a group of state and local lawmakers from Marion County have scheduled a public forum and panel discussion to answer questions about removing old criminal offenses from individual records.
First Child Services Oversight Committee meeting Wednesday
The Child Services Oversight Committee, established by the Indiana General Assembly specifically to keep tabs on the Indiana Department of Child Services, will hold its first meeting July 31.
Judge: Continuing current sequestration cuts would be ‘devastating’ to justice system
A federal judge implored a Senate panel Tuesday to provide sufficient funding for U.S. courts, warning that the general public will lose the access to justice that has been a hallmark of this country.
Bail bond issues dominate Commission on Courts meeting
Although charged with only one duty, the Commission on Courts has added the controversial topic of bail bonds to its summer study agenda.
Expungement forum set for Saturday in Gary
Attorneys will present information and answer questions about Indiana’s new expungement law at a forum Saturday in Gary.
7th Circuit won’t make Indiana rip up section of I-69
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected environmental activists’ arguments that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately address impact on wetlands when it issued permits for a recently completed section of Interstate 69 in southern Indiana.
Indiana grandparents petitioning for visitation face long odds
The courts are limiting relatives’ rights while the Indiana General Assembly seeks to expand them.
Dissolution of same-sex marriages a legal puzzle for lawyers, judges
Indiana statute makes clear the state’s position on same-sex marriage, but it also leaves murky the rights of Hoosier couples who, despite the law, are legally married.
Complexity of new expungement law raises questions
Hundreds rushed to a clerk’s office July 1 on a mistaken belief that was the only day they could petition to have their criminal records expunged.
Commission on Courts to consider Vanderburgh magistrate, bail issues
The Indiana Commission on Courts will meet Thursday to hear a request for an additional magistrate in Vanderburgh Circuit Court and to review the state’s bail surety system.
BMV announces credits for overcharged motorists
Indiana motorists who overpaid for driver’s licenses over the past six years will get the money back in the form of a credit on their next transaction at the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the agency announced Friday.
Attorney says Washington nonprofit’s complaints are part of ‘smear’ campaign
Terre Haute conservative attorney James Bopp Jr. says that an IRS whistleblower suit and other complaints alleging Bopp has diverted funds from the nonprofit James Madison Center for Free Speech to his law firm are part of a “smear machine” by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
7th Circuit reverses sanctions against Plews Shadley, other firms in False Claims Act case
After finding that a federal court in Indianapolis erred in dismissing a former ITT Educational Services Inc. employee’s False Claims Act lawsuit, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the nearly $350,000 in sanctions imposed against three law firms representing the woman.
Department of Correction to request funding for upgrades at 3 facilities
Proposed upgrades to three of the state’s correctional facilities will be among the items considered during Wednesday’s meeting of the Indiana State Budget Committee.
7th Circuit dismisses campground owner’s appeal after raising new arguments
A Cedar Grove campground owner’s appeal regarding the judgment that the campground is subject to the Safe Drinking Water Act raised an “interesting question,” the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals noted, but the judges dismissed the appeal because the owner raised arguments for the first time on appeal.