Articles

Judicial candidates warned about campaign content

Candidates for judicial office should not use photographs of courtrooms in their campaign materials, and only incumbent judges should be depicted in judicial robes in campaign ads, according to an advisory opinion from the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications.

Read More

Ruling limits president’s recess appointments

The Supreme Court of the United States on Thursday limited the president's power to fill high-level administration posts with temporary appointments, ruling in favor of Senate Republicans in their partisan clash with President Barack Obama.

Read More

Opinions June 26, 2014, ILD

Indiana Court of Appeals

Rebecca Roberts v. State of Indiana (NFP)
03A01-1311-CR-498
Criminal. Affirms decision ordering Roberts to serve the entire previously suspended sentence following her probation violation.

Thomas Schultheis v. State of Indiana (NFP)
60A04-1311-CR-582
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class D felony intimidation of a law enforcement officer.

E. Rodney Lewis Blair v. State of Indiana (NFP)
45A03-1311-CR-432
Criminal. Affirms denial of motion to withdraw guilty plea to Class B felony dealing in cocaine.

Desmond McGee v. State of Indiana (NFP)
49A05-1311-CR-555
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class B misdemeanor battery.

Garry D. Jackson v. State of Indiana (NFP)
39A01-1310-CR-457
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class A misdemeanor driving while intoxicated, finding Jackson is a habitual offender, and four-year prison sentence.

L.P. Richardson v. Eric Armstrong, Jonathon Postell, Tyrone Postell, Lambert Barnes (NFP)
49A02-1309-PL-826
Civil plenary. Affirms dismissal of Richardson’s complaint and award of attorney fees and court costs to Armstrong.

Shawn P. English v. State of Indiana (NFP)
02A03-1311-CR-457
Criminal. Affirms convictions of Class D felony resisting law enforcement and Class D felony battery.

Rick Whipple v. State of Indiana (NFP)
29A02-1312-CR-1000
Criminal. Affirms conviction of Class A misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.

The Indiana Supreme Court and Tax Court posted no opinions by IL deadline Thursday. The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals posted no Indiana opinions by IL deadline.
 

Read More

Opinions June 26, 2014

Indiana Court of Appeals
Traci Nelson v. Tony Nelson
41A01-1309-DR-424
Domestic relation. Affirms order denying Traci Nelson’s motion to relocate and modifying custody of her child in favor of father Tony Nelson. Finds mother’s reasons for relocation were legitimate and in good faith and that the conclusion that the Relocation Statute factors disfavored relocation and merited a change in custody to father was not clearly erroneous.

Read More

Deed provisions are not vague, COA rules

Finding that the trial court erred in construing the provision of a plaintiff’s deed in a dispute over use of parking areas, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed the finding of the existence of a prescriptive easement allowing dance academy customers to use portions of land owned by a neighboring company for ingress and egress from the academy’s property.

Read More

10th Circuit ruling pushes gay marriage closer to Supreme Court

The first ruling by a federal appeals court that states cannot prevent gay couples from marrying makes it more likely the Supreme Court of the United States will ultimately have to make a decision it has so far avoided — do states have the ability to prohibit same-sex marriage?

Read More

Some Indiana clerks refuse to issue same-sex marriage licenses

A federal judge’s ruling declaring Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional doesn’t trump a clerk’s religious convictions in one county. Elsewhere, county clerks are being instructed that it’s up to them whether they issue licenses to gay couples.

Read More

Clark County loses request to impose excess property tax levy

Noting that the Clark County Council made the conscious decision to not levy the maximum amount of property taxes allowed by statute for the 2008 budget year, it cannot now claim that decision is somehow a data error that the Department of Local Government Finance could later correct, the Indiana Tax Court ruled Wednesday.

Read More