Walmart sues US in pre-emptive strike in opioid abuse battle
Walmart is suing the U.S. government in a pre-emptive strike in the battle over its responsibility in the opioid abuse crisis.
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Judge slams DeVos for rejecting 94% of loan relief claims
Months after vowing to process a backlog of 160,000 requests for loan forgiveness from students who say they were defrauded by their schools, the U.S. Education Department has rejected 94% of claims it has reviewed, according to a federal judge who is demanding justification for the “blistering pace” of denials.
SCOTUS allows 3-day extension for Pennsylvania ballots
The Supreme Court of the United States will allow Pennsylvania to count mailed-in ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election, rejecting a Republican plea in the presidential battleground state.
Indiana mail-in ballots already more than triple for all of 2016 vote
Indiana voters have already cast more than three times as many ballots by mail than they did throughout the entire last presidential election, and with 18 days remaining until the Nov. 3 vote, the number of total Indiana absentee ballots that have been approved is nearing the total for all of the 2016 election.
Supreme Court halts census in latest twist of 2020 count
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled that the Trump administration can end census field operations early, in a blow to efforts to make sure minorities and hard-to-enumerate communities are properly counted in the crucial once-a-decade tally.
In abortion regulation suit, judge’s split opinion lets some claims proceed
Laws regarding the regulation of abortion clinics in Indiana that were challenged by the operators of a South Bend clinic that opened last year were upheld in part by a federal judge’s ruling, but the suit also was allowed to continue in part.
Attempt to change ‘and’ to ‘or’ stumbles in court
A lawsuit brought to prevent a single-word change in a state law from taking effect ended Thursday with a dismissal, which followed an earlier ruling by the Marion Superior Court denying the plaintiffs’ motion to enjoin the state from enforcing the statute.
Defunct Charlestown zoo owner arrested in New York
After more than three weeks at large, the owner of a former Charlestown zoo has been arrested in upstate New York. He faces extradition to Indiana to face criminal and civil proceedings.
AG Hill appeals ruling blocking noon Election Day absentee receipt law
Attorney General Curtis Hill’s office is appealing a judge’s ruling that absentee ballots postmarked by Nov. 3 must be counted. Meanwhile, the state acknowledged in its filing that election officials are taking steps to count those ballots if the judge’s order stands.
Facing a conservative turn, Supreme Court opens new term
The Supreme Court opens Monday a new term with Republicans on the cusp of realizing a dream 50 years in the making, a solid conservative majority that might roll back abortion rights, expand gun rights and shrink the power of government.
Church sex abuse lawsuit targets diocese in Arizona, Indiana
An Arizona man who says he was sexually abused by an Indiana priest more than 40 years ago sued church officials in both states Thursday, saying they allowed the priest into a Navajo Nation school despite his predatory history.
7th Circuit judges ask about Indiana voters in vote by mail case
During oral argument in the dispute over Indiana’s restrictions on absentee voting, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals panel focused on Hoosier voters by asking which of the proposed remedies would cause the least confusion and what remedies are currently available to the electorate.
Charlestown zoo owner still at large as state moves for default judgment, dissolution
As the search for animals missing from an embattled Charlestown zoo continues, the state of Indiana is seeking default judgment and judicial dissolution that would formally end Wildlife in Need’s operations. Meanwhile, zoo owner Tim Stark remains at large following an arrest warrant issued in Marion County, as well as an additional warrant in Clark County.
Anthem agrees to pay $39.5M in latest settlement over 2015 hacking
Anthem Inc. has agreed to pay a group of states $39.5 million to settle claims the health insurer failed to safeguard its data, a breach that led to a massive computer hacking in 2015 that compromised the private information of 78.8 million customers and former customers.
Federal judge blocks Indiana’s noon deadline for receiving mail-in ballots
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a state law that declares mail-in absentee ballots late and invalid if they aren’t received by noon on Election Day.
Allen Co. sheriff says he’ll pay settlement in shoving lawsuit
A northeastern Indiana sheriff has agreed to pay $55,000 to cover the county’s settlement of a lawsuit over allegations that he shoved a 15-year-old boy during a festival.
Suit: Challenged law may invalidate tens of thousands of Indiana mail-in ballots
An estimated 10,000 Hoosiers’ mail-in absentee ballots were rejected as “late” during Indiana’s 2020 primary election under a disputed Indiana law, suggesting multiple times more ballots may be thrown out in the Nov. 3 general election, groups challenging the law in federal court contend.
Suit seeks $3M in damages over alleged wrongful DCS actions
Indianapolis parents who claim the Indiana Department of Child Services wrongly removed their children from the home over allegedly false accusations of sexual abuse have filed a federal lawsuit against the agency seeking $3 million in damages.
SCOTUS favorite Barrett’s Purdue Title IX opinion hews to text, sets standard
With 7th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett a favorite to fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court, the focus has been on the jurist’s views of abortion, but an opinion in a Purdue University sexual misconduct case she authored little more than a year ago may provide more insight into her approach to the law.
PETA: 22 big cats taken from Charlestown zoo; all animals out
An animal advocacy organization said Friday afternoon it had assisted in the removal of 22 big cats, completing an animal-removal operation from a now-defunct Charlestown zoo. The removal came with the assistance of federal marshals after the zoo’s fugitive owner had made threats of violence and defied court orders.