Articles

Judge pro tem appointed to replace Lake Superior Judge Villalpando

A judge pro tempore has been appointed to perform the duties of Lake Superior Court judge Jesse M. Villalpando, whose name was recently removed from the Nov. 6 general election ballot. A Friday order announced the Lake Superior Court judge will take leave from the bench beginning today and will remain on leave for the duration of his elected term, while attorney Stephen A. Tyler will serve in his place as judge pro tem. 

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Justices consider ouster of Yorktown clerk-treasurer

Choosing to forcibly remove an elected official from office is a weighty decision, one that requires government officials to go against the will of the voters — presumably for the public good. In theory, an impeachment occurs only when an elected officer has egregiously failed to perform his or her duties, leaving no choice but to force the official to vacate her office.

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Public Defender Commission announces legislative priorities

The Indiana Public Defender Commission has announced plans to begin a legislative effort intended to stir statewide public defense reform, a decision that comes on the heels of a task force report that highlighted shortcomings in the Hoosier indigent defense system.

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Indiana Supreme Court greenlights blocked railroad crossings

A unanimous Indiana Supreme Court sent a message Tuesday to Hoosier motorists stuck at railroad crossings waiting for trains to pass: relax, you’re going to be there awhile. The court struck down a state law limiting blocked crossings to 10 minutes, holding that such regulations were pre-empted by federal law.

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Justices amend appellate, small claims rules

The Indiana Supreme Court has issued several orders amending rules of the court. Among them is a change that requires any appellate party to seek court permission to amend a filed appendix, and allows trusts and trustees to represent claims of less than $1,500 without counsel in small claims cases.

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Mental health, diversity may become required CLE

Lawyers soon could be required to earn continuing legal education credits in diversity and inclusion and mental health and wellness under a proposal the Indiana State Bar Association House of Delegates will consider next month. It’s one of two resolutions delegates will consider.

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Evansville attorney disciplined for lack of diligence

The Indiana Supreme Court privately reprimanded an Evansville attorney Friday after he failed to act with reasonable diligence and promptness in communicating with clients whose homestead was burned in an act of vandalism that appeared to be racially motivated.

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Justices: Evansville, Fort Wayne partly liable for police sex assaults

The Indiana Supreme Court affirmed two cities were entitled to summary judgment on the common-carrier theory, but not on the issue of liability under respondeat superior’s scope-of-employment rule in a consolidated civil lawsuit involving two women who were sexually assaulted by on-duty police in Evansville and Fort Wayne.

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Absent juvenile did not waive rights, split Supreme Court rules

The Indiana Supreme Court split over whether a juvenile waived his right to be present when he skipped his hearing, but the justices came together in calling for a legislative remedy. Justices in a 3-2 decision reversed the teen’s juvenile delinquency adjudication.

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Supreme Court: E-filing now covers 90 percent of state

Electronic filing now covers 90 percent of Indiana trial courts and nearly 80 percent of the state’s caseload is now handled through the Odyssey case management system, the Indiana Supreme Court highlighted Monday with the release of its annual report. The annual report includes a broad statistical overview of the work of the court during the 2017-2018 fiscal year.

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