Supreme Court amends Tax Court rules
Amendments handed down Friday make a variety of changes to Indiana’s Tax Court rules. The changes all take effect Sept. 1.
Indiana Supreme Court
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Justices to suspended attorney: Pay fine or face prison
The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered a Kokomo attorney who is already suspended to pay a fine or face a 15-day prison sentence after he was found in contempt for practicing law while suspended. The court said the lawyer twice contacted opposing counsel who responded by noting his suspension.
US Supreme Court may see Lake Michigan beach ownership case
A years-long dispute over the ownership of Lake Michigan’s shoreline may be headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Elena Kagan last week approved a request from Bobbie and Don Gunderson’s attorneys to extend the deadline for seeking a U.S. Supreme Court review in their case to Oct. 5.
Judge pro tem appointed in Lake County; Tavitas to join COA
Senior judge Thomas W. Webber Sr., will serve as judge pro tem in Lake Superior Court, Civil Division 3, replacing Judge Elizabeth Tavitas upon her appointment to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Tavitas is scheduled to be sworn in on the appellate bench next week.
Rule change gives extra time to file transfer petitions
Attorneys will have 15 extra days to file a petition to transfer to the Indiana Supreme Court next year, thanks to an appellate rule amendment adopted Monday.
Rules amendments making attorney cell numbers public not approved
The Indiana Supreme Court has approved a series of amendments to multiple state rules, but one that did not make the cut was an amendment that would have required attorneys to include their cellphone numbers on appearance filings.
Attorney who stole Adderall suspended, another reprimanded
A Terre Haute attorney who stole prescription drugs from a client’s girlfriend has been suspended from the practice of law in Indiana for at least a month and has been ordered to begin a Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program monitoring agreement.
Opioid summit focuses on treatment, best judicial practices
Almost 1,000 people including judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, law enforcement officers, community leaders and medical professionals on Wednesday attended the Statewide Opioid Summit: A Medication Assisted Treatment and Addictions Primer for Justice Professionals.
Slaughter replaces David as Coalition for Court Access chair
Indiana Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey Slaughter has taken over as chair of the Coalition for Court Access, while three additional members have been appointed to serve under him. He will take over for Justice Steven David, who had chaired the coalition since its 2016 inception.
Supreme Court remands sentence modification cases after new statute takes effect
The Indiana Supreme Court has remanded two cases that it previously granted transfer to back to the Indiana Court of Appeals for reconsideration in light of a new statute addressing permissible sentence modifications. The cases of State v. Stafford and Rodriguez v. State were sent back to the lower appellate court on Thursday after the 2018 version of Senate Enrolled Act 64 took effect on July 1.
Retention website created ahead of Slaughter, Altice November retention vote
Indiana’s state courts have established a website with information about two Indiana appellate judges facing retention on the November ballot. Voters will vote yes or no on retaining Indiana Supreme Court Justice Geoffrey G. Slaughter and Indianapolis Court of Appeals Second District Judge Robert R. Altice, Jr. in the November 2018 general election.
Indiana Supreme Court approves Marion County small claims rule amendment
A request from the Marion County Small Claims Courts for amending a local rule regarding court reporter services has been approved. The Indiana Supreme Court found the proposed rule amendment, LR49-AR15-SC-106, complied with the requirements of Indiana Administrative Rule 15.
Indiana Court Decisions — June 21-July 3, 2018
Read Indiana appellate court decisions from the most recent reporting period.
Disciplinary Actions — 7/11/2018
See who has been reinstated and supsended from the practice of law in the most recent reporting period.
Evaluating character, fitness seen as important as bar exam
Every jurisdiction evaluates applicants for character and fitness, according to the 2018 Comprehensive Guide to Bar Admission Requirements published by the National Conference of Bar Examiners in collaboration with the American Bar Association. But Indiana is among a handful of states that mandates all applicants for the bar undergo a character and fitness review.
Best practices, prevention discussed at upcoming Supreme Court opioid summit
Teams from all 92 Indiana counties will convene in a little more than two weeks to discuss how to best equip the Indiana judiciary when facing cases concerning the state’s growing opioid crisis. The Indiana Supreme Court will host the Statewide Opioid Summit: A Medication Assisted Treatment and Addictions Primer for Justice Professionals from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on July 25 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
Public gets access to more trial court case documents Aug.1
Increased public access to court records will begin August 1, the Indiana Supreme Court said in an order Friday, after hearing recommendations from an advisory task force on remote access to and privacy of electronic court records.
Elkhart woman ordered to stop unauthorized practice of law
An Elkhart woman has been ordered by the Indiana Supreme Court to cease the unauthorized practice of law in matters of immigration, business and family law.
Justices toss 2 resisting convictions from triple-fatality
A wrong-way driver who caused the deaths of three adults and one unborn child while fleeing police had two of his three convictions for resisting law enforcement overturned after the Indiana Supreme Court determined state law allows only one conviction for each act of resisting.
Justices: One resisting conviction for fatal crash with injuries
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled that Indiana Code permits only one conviction of resisting law enforcement from a single incident, regardless of how many people are harmed in an accident.