Articles

Justices amend rules, disciplinary process for court interpreters

The Indiana Supreme Court has amended the rules governing court interpreters, with the changes set to take effect Jan. 1. The court approved the amendments to the Interpreter Code of Conduct & Procedure and the Disciplinary Process for Certified Court Interpreters & Candidates for Interpreter Certification.

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Indiana argues it may discriminate in some court services

A deputy attorney general argued the state may discriminate in providing certain court services as Indiana appealed a ruling that a deaf man was discriminated against when Marion Superior Court denied him an interpreter for a mandatory mediation.

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US, ACLU join deaf litigant in ADA suit against Indiana court

A deaf litigant who was denied a sign language interpreter for court-ordered mediation in his child-custody case has the support of the U.S. Department of Justice and the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana in his federal disability-discrimination lawsuit against Marion Circuit Court.

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Indiana fights discrimination ruling against trial court

A federal court ruling that a Marion County court discriminated against a deaf man who was denied an interpreter for his court-ordered mediation is being appealed by the state, which argues he lacked standing to bring the suit under the Americans with Disabilities Act and state courts should be immune from such judgments.

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State appeals ruling for deaf litigant denied mediation interpreter

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller’s office has appealed a federal court ruling that found a Marion County court discriminated against a deaf man in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act when it rejected his request for an American Sign Language interpreter at a court-ordered mediation session during his child custody case.

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Judge: Court discriminated against deaf man by denying mediation interpreter

A deaf Indianapolis man was discriminated against when a court denied providing him an interpreter during a mediation session ordered in his child custody case. A federal judge ruled Friday that Marion Superior Court’s decision to deny the interpreter in a court-funded mediation program violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

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Technology helps aid non-English-speaking litigants but has limits

Remote connections for interpreting services are becoming more common in courts and legal proceedings. Speakers of Arabic, Mandarin, Punjabi and countless other languages and dialects are entitled to understand proceedings and communicate, but there isn’t always a qualified interpreter who can show up in person.

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Spanish-speaking man did not waive rights in plea, justices hold

A non-native English speaker was able to show the Indiana Supreme Court that, during his guilty plea hearing, he was not properly advised of the constitutional rights he was waiving by pleading guilty. The justices reversed the denial of his petition for post-conviction relief.

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Right to equal access at center of federal lawsuit

A courtroom spectator’s persistent requests to two trial courts for an interpreter raises questions of how accessible Indiana courts should be for people who have disabilities as well as how much control the state judiciary has over local judges.

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