Judge pushes for full-time public defender office
A southern Indiana judge says his county needs a full-time public defender office to ensure those who can't afford attorneys receive strong legal representation.
Public defenders
Articles
Millions more sought for representation of juveniles
The money is needed for guardians ad litem and court appointed special advocates, and to pay for the new rule requiring defenders in delinquency cases.
State’s way of paying public defenders debated
The state pays the salaries of its judges and prosecutors, but public defenders are paid by counties that are only partially reimbursed for their costs — an approach that some including the executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council want to see changed.
Deficient counsel does not overcome convincing evidence
Even though the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals spelled out in a 17-page opinion what defense counsel should have done during a bench trial, the appellate panel ultimately concluded the deficient representation did not prejudice the case.
Additional public defender fees without hearing affirmed
A man who appealed a court order that he pay fees in excess of the statutory public defender fee capped at $100 lost his appeal, though one judge said the trial court must hold a hearing on the defendant’s ability to pay.
New Indiana criminal code being implemented in courtrooms
Prosecutors, public defenders and judges around the state have been attending special seminars, updating computer programs and reading through the new criminal code in preparation for the switch. Many say they will need about six months before they feel comfortable with the new code, and they expect they will be juggling cases charged under the old code for at least another 12 to 18 months.
Conour defender asks to withdraw from 7th Circuit appeal
The public defender appointed to represent convicted fraudster and former leading personal-injury attorney William Conour has asked the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals to withdraw from the case, citing an unspecified conflict of interest.
Proposed criminal justice complex draws 5 bidders
Five groups of developers have responded to Indianapolis' call for candidates to build a new criminal justice complex.
Indy attorney: airport site ‘cannot’ work for justice complex
Indianapolis International Airport may be officials’ preferred location for a proposed Criminal Justice Complex, but some attorneys who work in the system are critical of the idea.
Every defendant has a story
After 11 grueling years on the high-profile Camm murder case, attorney Stacy Uliana believes justice was served.
Federal judge orders new trial in felony gun possession case
Finding the interests of justice require a new trial for a man convicted of a federal gun crime in which the government withheld potentially exculpatory evidence, Judge William T. Lawrence granted his request Wednesday in the Southern District of Indiana Terre Haute division.
Convicted Conour wants to keep fees, attorney says
Despite pleading guilty to wire fraud on government charges that he took more than $4.5 million from at least 25 clients, William Conour’s public defender argues the former attorney is entitled to some $2 million in legal fees on cases other attorneys worked.
Senators skeptical of funding Odyssey access for public defenders
Senate budget writers appeared skeptical of a request Thursday to spend more than $2.1 million over the next four years to give public defenders statewide the same access to case management systems that prosecutors, judges and others have in many counties.
Justices order new trial for man tried in absentia
A North Carolina man who was convicted of two counts of Class C felony neglect of a dependent by an Elkhart Superior Court while the defendant was on a bus on the way to court will get a new trial, the Indiana Supreme Court concluded Tuesday.
Low pay leads to high job turnover
Salaries in the public sector are causing the criminal justice system to suffer.
Death penalty foe Foster pumps up federal defenders
Taking charge at Indiana Federal Community Defenders Inc. in the Southern District, Monica Foster’s seeking, and getting, bigger caseloads.
Lawyers relax and find camaraderie in softball league of their own
The Lawyer League softball is an annual summertime league in Indianapolis that’s been around for more than 30 years.
Hogsett lifts US attorney’s public profile
One expert says federal prosecutors have become more visible across the country.
Court splits over motion for discharge ruling
An Indiana Court of Appeals judge dissented from his colleagues in a Criminal Rule 4(B) motion for discharge case, disagreeing with the interpretation of language in Jenkins v. State regarding the relevant time for purposes of determining whether a defendant can file a pro se motion for a speedy trial.