Boy, 14, faces murder, molesting counts in girl’s death
A 14-year-old boy was charged with murder and child molestation Monday in the asphyxiation death of a 6-year-old girl in northern Indiana, prosecutors said.
St. Joseph County
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Man fleeing police in northern Indiana shot by homeowner
A man fleeing police in northern Indiana was shot after encountering an armed homeowner, authorities said. The man survived after he was treated at a hospital.
McDermott: Lake, St. Joseph judiciary bill raises questions
The undeniable truth is that there is a long legislative history in this nation of powerful majorities diminishing and silencing the voices of minorities. While I have no reason to believe the motive of the current judicial selection legislation for Lake and St. Joseph counties is racial, this law will undoubtedly have a disproportionally negative effect on citizens who happen to be racial minorities.
Hoosiers 55-59 now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines; state rolls out 3 mass vaccination sites
Hoosiers aged 55-59 are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine, according to an update posted Tuesday morning on the Indiana State Department of Health’s vaccine information and registration site.
St. Joseph JNC accepting new applications as lawsuit, legislation persist
As litigation and legislation that could change the structure of judicial selection in St. Joseph County proceeds, the St. Joseph County Judicial Nominating Commission is accepting applications to fill a vacancy that will occur in the spring.
Black caucus calls for reprimands, implicit bias training after House altercations
The Indiana Black Legislative Caucus is calling for lawmaker reprimands, implicit bias training and member safety measures in response to a heated Indiana House session last week that featured allegations of racism, on-the-floor boos and lawmaker confrontations in the halls and a restroom.
Finalists for St. Joseph Superior Court resubmitted to Holcomb
Gov. Eric Holcomb has been presented a second time with the same slate of nominees to fill a vacancy on the St. Joseph Superior Court, potentially curing an injunction that had blocked the governor’s appointment after a local commission member sued, claiming two fellow members were ineligible.
Black Indiana lawmakers face Republican boos during debate
Tempers flared among Indiana legislators during a debate Thursday when Black lawmakers were shouted down and booed by some Republicans and two House members had to be separated in a hallway.
ISBA opposes bill to change judicial selection in Lake, St. Joseph counties
For the second time this year, the Indiana State Bar Association is publicly opposing legislation targeting judicial selection in Indiana, this time speaking against a bill that it says would “unnecessarily change a working system” for judicial selection in Lake and St. Joseph counties.
St. Joseph judge who retired back on bench amid appointment stalemate
The Indiana Supreme Court on Monday issued an order appointing Miller, now a senior judge, back to the court she attempted to retire from last year. The order authorizes Miller to serve as a St. Joseph Superior Court judge until May 1 as a fight over her potential successor plays out in another court.
COA upholds denial of grandparents’ adoption petition
A request by grandparents to adopt a grandson found to be a child in need of services was properly denied, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday, upholding a trial court’s determination that adoption was not in the child’s best interests.
Legislation takes aim at judicial selection
A bill in the Legislature would restructure the composition of judicial nominating commissions in Lake and St. Joseph counties. Currently, an even number of attorneys and nonattorney members are appointed by local stakeholders, but the proposal would reduce attorney representation, which has prompted a backlash in the northern Indiana legal communities.
Bill removing lawyers from Lake, St. Joseph judicial panels draws more fire
Efforts to amend a bill that would fundamentally change the composition of the judicial nominating commissions in Lake and St. Joseph counties failed in the Indiana House on Tuesday, setting up the controversial legislation for a possible final House vote next week.
Bill to alter Lake, St. Joseph judicial selection rankles local bench, bar
Legal professionals in Lake and St. Joseph counties are raising serious concerns about advancing legislation that would change the structure of the local judicial nominating commissions that shape the state trial court judiciary in the northern Indiana counties.
Ruling on appeal reinstates condo owners’ suit alleging faulty construction
Condominium owners in a South Bend complex that they allege was shoddily constructed may pursue their claims against the insolvent developer, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled, reversing the dismissal of the condo owners’ claims.
Supreme Court creates rule for appointing commercial court judges
As Indiana’s commercial court program expands, the Indiana Supreme Court is implementing new rules to govern the appointment of judges to the specialized dockets.
Supreme Court reinstates 2 lawyers, 1 conditionally
A northern Indiana lawyer with a lengthy criminal history has been conditionally readmitted to the practice of law in Indiana, as has a Louisville lawyer who has not been licensed in the Hoosier state for more than a decade.
Judge blocks Holcomb appointment to St. Joseph Superior Court
A northern Indiana judge has issued an injunction prohibiting Gov. Eric Holcomb from appointing a new judge to the St. Joseph Superior Court while a lawsuit filed against the governor by a fellow Republican appointee to that county’s judicial nominating commission proceeds.
Former Notre Dame assistant charged with voyeurism, assault
A former Notre Dame men’s basketball assistant coach and former Fighting Irish player has been charged with three counts of voyeurism and one count of domestic battery.
Split COA reverses post-conviction denial in teen murder case
A split Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed the denial of a teenager’s petition for post-conviction relief of his murder conviction, finding his attorneys performed deficiently in a 2017 trial related to the fatal shooting of a South Bend toddler.