Indiana tops 6,000 coronavirus-related deaths since March
Indiana has topped 6,000 confirmed or suspected COVID-19 deaths with the state also recording a new high for average daily coronavirus fatalities amid the ongoing infection surge.
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Justices order review of California virus rules for churches
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a lower federal court to reexamine California restrictions on indoor religious services in areas hard hit by the coronavirus in light of the justices’ recent ruling in favor of churches and synagogues in New York.
Indiana leaders pin slowing COVID-19 spread to vaccine
Indiana faces a longer stretch of COVID-19 illnesses and deaths while the governor and top state health official on Wednesday pinned improvement on personal responsibility and the looming first arrival of vaccines rather than reinstating more statewide precautions.
Female tenant settles sexual harassment suit against Indianapolis landlord
An Indianapolis landlord has agreed to pay nearly $46,000 to settle a lawsuit that alleged he proposed exchanging sex for rent from a female tenant who lost her job during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
ILAS starts annual fundraiser amid growing need
For the first time in its history, the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society’s holiday dollar campaign is going virtual. The fundraiser has become a tradition since it was started in the mid-1990s but will be critical this season to meet the needs created by the pandemic.
Holcomb ends quarantine after COVID-19 exposure
Indiana’s governor ended a quarantine on Tuesday that started two weeks ago after several members of his security detail were confirmed infected with the coronavirus, his spokeswoman said.
Hogsett tests negative, will quarantine after COVID-19 exposure
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett and his wife have both tested negative for COVID-19 but will continue quarantining after having close contact last weekend with an infected person, his office said Saturday.
SCOTUS extends telephone arguments through January
The United States Supreme Court said last week it will continue to hear arguments by telephone through at least January because of the coronavirus pandemic.
High court blocks NY virus limits on houses of worship
With coronavirus cases surging again nationwide, the Supreme Court last week barred New York from enforcing certain limits on attendance at churches and synagogues in areas designated as hard hit by the virus.
Ruling barring Abercrombie & Fitch from closing Simon stores upheld
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed a preliminary injunction for Simon Property Group that prevented retail-clothing store Abercrombie & Fitch from permanently closing stores in dozens of Simon malls.
To mandate or not to mandate: Employers preparing for COVID-19 vaccine
While the pandemic continues to rage and pharmaceutical makers get closer to developing an effective vaccine, Americans’ willingness to get inoculated has slipped. Battles over the vaccination will probably spill into the workplace, and employers are already starting to consider policies and plans for ensuring their workers’ health along with making possible accommodations to those who object to getting the shots.
IndyBar Guest Column: What I’ve Learned from 2020 and What I Hope for in 2021
There were a lot of things I was going to do this year, places I was going to go (conferences in French Lick, AFCC in New Orleans, a girls’ trip to Hilton Head … gone but not forgotten, clearly) that just went completely off the rails. Instead, I learned some things, experienced some “personal growth” and so far, I’ve survived. I thought I’d share some things in case you were feeling alone, or want to feel superior, or are just looking for some product suggestions.
DOC partnership provides Narcan kits to released inmates
In light of an increase of relapses and overdose numbers, the Indiana Department of Correction this month announced it would start offering naloxone, an agent used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, to every offender released from a DOC facility.
Indianapolis Assessment Intervention Center to open next week
The Assessment Intervention Center, the first completed building at the new Community Justice Campus in Marion County, is set to open next week.
In-house legal departments expect pandemic-induced changes to continue
Chief legal officers across the country say COVID-19 has left their corporate legal departments with less money and more work, according to the results of an Altman Weil survey conducted in September and October.
Indiana Southern District closes clerk’s offices to public
Federal court clerk’s offices across the Southern District of Indiana are now closed to the public indefinitely as the months-long COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Jury duty? No thanks, say many, forcing trials to be delayed
Jury duty notices have set Nicholas Philbrook’s home on edge with worries about him contracting the coronavirus and passing it on to his father-in-law, a cancer survivor with diabetes in his mid-70s who is at higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19.
Dozens of district courts suspend jury trials as COVID-19 cases surge
As a sharp rise in coronavirus cases sweeps the nation, nearly two dozen U.S. district courts – including both in Indiana – have ordered for the suspension of jury trials or grand jury proceedings, federal courts announced.
Justices permit remote attorney disciplinary proceedings
Indiana Supreme Court justices in a Wednesday order provided instructions to hearing officers and parties in attorney disciplinary proceedings that have not yet proceeded to final hearing, perhaps most significantly permitting remote proceedings due to the continuing pandemic.
Indiana county OKs fining businesses violating mask order as COVID cases soar
Businesses in a northern Indiana county could now face fines if they fail to enforce a county mask order requiring employees of businesses to wear masks to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The move comes as the number of Indiana counties having a heightened risk of COVID-19 rose.