Volunteer judges sought for IUPUI mock trial competition
Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis’ mock trial team is seeking volunteers to serve as judges at a mock trial invitational next month.
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Lawyer, prosecutor, first gaming commission director ‘Jack’ Thar dies
A longtime Indianapolis attorney and public servant whose career included stints as a federal prosecutor as well as leading the state agency that awarded Indiana’s first riverboat gambling licenses has died. John “Jack” James Thar, 71, died Jan. 8, surrounded by loved ones after a battle with heart disease.
Child Advocates celebrates ‘transformational’ $5M Lilly Endowment grant
Indiana’s largest organization that advocates for the interests of child victims of abuse has received the largest donation in its history — a $5 million grant from the Lilly Endowment. “They call it a transformational gift, and it certainly is for us,” Child Advocates CEO Cindy Booth said of the award.
Alliance brings together SmithAmundsen, Brannon Sowers IP firm
SmithAmundsen and the Indianapolis intellectual property firm of Brannon Sowers & Cracraft have agreed to a strategic alliance which will allow each firm to retain its identity while having access to the other’s attorneys and resources.
Semi driver in deadly I-465 crash pleads guilty but mentally ill
The semi driver charged in a crash on Interstate 465 last summer that killed three people has agreed to plead guilty but mentally ill to felony reckless homicide and misdemeanor recklessness charges. He could be sentenced to three to nine years.
Reversal: Indianapolis police immune in teen’s death linked to handcuffing
Despite multiple 7th Circuit decisions finding police at fault for injuring individuals by excessive handcuffing, a panel from the Chicago court has granted qualified immunity to two Indianapolis police officers in the death of a teenager because none of the previous cases specifically give arrestees the right to not be handcuffed after complaining about difficulty breathing.
IU McKinney selects 4 finalists for dean position
The search for the next dean of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law has been narrowed to four individuals who are scheduled to visit the Indianapolis campus in January and early February, according to IUPUI.
Dillinger exhumation suit dismissed, but new suit possible
An Indiana judge has granted a motion dismissing a lawsuit filed by a nephew of 1930s gangster John Dillinger, who wants to exhume the notorious criminal’s Indianapolis grave.
Hearing set on fight over disclosure of Indianapolis’ Amazon HQ2 offer
A nonprofit tax policy organization will make its case in court next month that the public is entitled to know the public financial incentives that were offered to Amazon in Indianapolis’ unsuccessful bid to lure the online retail giant’s second multi-billion-dollar headquarters.
Good faith effort: Marion County creates program for parents who lose licenses over child support
The Marion County Prosecutor’s Office launched a temporary program last month designed to help delinquent parents get their licenses back while also ensuring they meet their child support obligations. Scores of parents since have had their driving privileges restored while getting back on the right road with their support payments.
Indiana law firms part of biggest combinations in 2019
The year 2019 broke the record for U.S. law firm mergers and acquisitions with 115 combinations announced, including Indianapolis offices in some of the biggest deals unveiled.
2020 ICLEO applications available
Applications are now available for the 2020 Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity program may now do so, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Friday.
Appeal set on challenge to Indiana religious objections law
Conservative religious groups are planning to appeal an Indiana judge’s ruling that canceled a trial challenging limits on the state’s religious objections law that were signed by then-Gov. Mike Pence.
Bayer’s appeal rejected in Essure birth control device lawsuit
A pharmaceutical giant sued by dozens of women who claim they were injured by the company’s permanent contraceptive device did not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Tuesday to grant its motion for judgment on the pleadings.
New IMPD chief hopes to make dent in homicide rate
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett on Tuesday named high-ranking internal candidate Randal Taylor as the chief of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department, succeeding Chief Bryan Roach.
COA disqualifies school board member in residency challenge
A lawyer elected to Indianapolis’ Washington Township School Board is ineligible to serve, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled in an unprecedented decision, removing the elected official because she does not live in the district she was elected to represent in 2018.
Man badly wounded in Indianapolis police shooting
Indianapolis police officers shot a man early Saturday after he refused orders to drop a rifle, authorities said.
2 judges back on bench following fight-related suspensions
Two southern Indiana judges are back on the bench after completing their suspensions for a downtown Indianapolis fight and double-shooting that followed a night of bar hopping. Clark Circuit Judge Brad Jacobs and Crawford Circuit Judge Sabrina Bell were reinstated to the bench Monday following 30-day suspensions that took effect Nov. 22.
Muncie mayor’s trial on federal charges delayed until May
A central Indiana mayor’s federal trial on charges of accepting a bribe has been pushed back for several months. Defense attorneys for Muncie Mayor Dennis Tyler requested the delay on the trial that had been scheduled to start Jan. 21.
‘Ministerial exception’ discovery motion fails in lawsuit against Indianapolis Archdiocese
A motion in a lawsuit against the Indianapolis Archdiocese to limit discovery to the question of whether a fired gay counselor falls under the First Amendment’s “ministerial exception” has been defeated in “close call” in Indiana federal court.