State lawmaker panel weighs solutions to Indiana’s lawyer shortage
Indiana’s legal community is raising alarms about a statewide shortage of attorneys that has already led to barren courtrooms leaving hundreds of Hoosiers unrepresented.
Public defenders
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Attorneys for man charged in Delphi killings leave case amid questions of evidence security
The trial for an Indiana man charged in the killings of two teenage girls is expected to be delayed after his defense attorneys withdrew from the case Thursday amid questions about security of evidence.
Prosecutor’s office, public defender agency get funding boost in 2024 Marion Co. budget
Law enforcement agencies, the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office and the Marion County Public Defender Agency will each receive a funding boost in 2024 after the City-County Council passed Mayor Joe Hogsett’s 2024 budget earlier this week.
Felts becomes ISBA president, legal leaders provide updates at assembly meeting
Friday marked a historic moment for the Indiana State Bar Association as the bar inducted its first president who is also concurrently a judge and heard from legal leaders from across the state about updates in the Indiana legal profession.
Attorneys hard to find for prosecutor, public defender openings: Shortage of public attorneys leaves offices scrambling to manage caseloads
At the Elkhart County Prosecutor’s Office, full workforce capacity would consist of a staff of 29 deputy prosecutors, a chief deputy prosecutor and Vicki Becker, the county’s prosecuting attorney. Becker said her office currently has 18 attorneys.
City, feds teaming up: Indianapolis, US Southern District planning partnership on guns
A partnership between the city of Indianapolis and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is still in its early stages but will ultimately be designed to address gun crimes throughout the Circle City.
New book profiles Paula Cooper death penalty case; author hosts Q&A
A story of a teen girl sentenced to death garnered international headlines and, after extensive interviews and research, is now being told through a new book, “Seventy Times Seven.”
Misdemeanor funding coming back to defenders? Public defender offices hoping for restoration of misdemeanor reimbursement funding
As staff shortages collide with overflowing caseloads, chief public defenders around the state are keeping a close eye on new funding proposed by Gov. Eric Holcomb that would reimburse public defender offices for handling misdemeanor cases.
Former Lawrence Co. chief public defender resigns after deficient representation in rape case
The former chief public defender in Lawrence County has resigned from the Indiana bar after failing to effectively defend an accused rapist, including failing to take depositions of witnesses who had potentially exculpatory information.
Attorneys appointed for man charged with killing 2 Delphi girls
Two attorneys have been appointed to represent the man accused of killing two teenage girls in northern Indiana.
Man accused of killing 2 Delphi girls asks for public defender
The man accused of killing two teenage girls from Delphi has requested a public defender in a letter to the court filed Wednesday because both he and his wife can no longer work.
Supreme Court approves minimum fee schedule for state, appointed public defenders
The Indiana Supreme Court has approved a proposed schedule of minimum fees for the state’s public defenders appointed in trial and appellate cases.
Jackson pushes back at GOP critics, defends judicial record
Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson forcefully defended her record as a judge Tuesday, pushing back against Republican assertions that she was soft on crime and declaring she would rule as an “independent jurist” if confirmed as the first Black woman on the high court.
Biden quest for judicial diversity goes beyond race, gender
President Joe Biden spent a recent flight aboard Air Force One reminiscing with lawmakers and aides about his start as a young lawyer in Delaware working as a public defender in the late 1960s. As Biden considers his first Supreme Court nominee, this lesser-known period in his biography could offer insight into the personal experience he brings to the decision.
Swifter justice: AI management software for public defenders tackles media evidence faster, more efficiently
JusticeText, a cloud-based platform, is an artificial intelligence tool that pinpoints specific words or phrases from data revealed in body camera footage and recorded jail calls, eliminating the need for defense attorneys to sit for hours plucking through evidence.
No public defender for Black man in alleged Monroe Co. racist attack
A judge has rescinded the appointment of a public defender for a Black activist who alleges he was assaulted by a group of white men who threatened to lynch him.
Indy lawyers reappointed to Public Defender Commission, including commission chair
Two Indianapolis attorneys have been reappointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb to sit on the Indiana Public Defender Commission.
Data shows Indiana has lawyer shortage; public sector feeling the pain
About a decade out from the Great Recession — when law schools were criticized for oversaturating the job market— the situation, at least for the public sector in Indiana, appears to have gone in reverse.
Public Defender Commission seeks public input on proposals for lower caseloads, higher pay
The Indiana Public Defender Commission is proposing new standards that would significantly cut the caseloads and increase the pay for attorneys who represent adults and juveniles accused of criminal offenses.
Judge appoints attorney for man in Gary bank guard’s killing
A federal magistrate appointed a public defender for a man during his first court appearance in the June killing of a security guard shot to death outside a Gary bank during a robbery.