Sentencing set for ex-Whiting mayor over campaign fund misuse
A former northwestern Indiana mayor faces a January sentencing after pleading guilty to charges that he illegally used public campaign donations to cover gambling losses.
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana
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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.
Southern District to halt trials, naturalizations due to COVID-19
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana announced Friday it is suspending jury trials and cancelling naturalization ceremonies in response to the continuing surge of COVID-19 cases in the state.
Hammond loses motion to dismiss after counsel makes misleading representation
An employment discrimination lawsuit against the city of Hammond will proceed after a federal court denied a motion to dismiss, finding counsel for the city had made misleading representations about her knowledge of the plaintiff’s hospitalization for a stroke.
Judge changes course, opts to keep ex-mayor’s bribery case
A federal judge who last week recused herself from the bribery case of a former northwestern Indiana mayor has changed course and will preside over the man’s retrial after all.
Indiana Northern District judge recuses herself from Portage mayor’s bribery retrial
A federal judge has recused herself from the bribery case of a former northwestern Indiana mayor only days after setting a date for his retrial in that case.
7th Circuit affirms consecutive federal, state sentences for South Bend crimes
How should federal judges decide whether sentences in federal prosecutions should run consecutively to or concurrently with sentences in unrelated state prosecutions? The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals tackled that question in a Monday decision, affirming a man’s decades-long sentence for his part in a South Bend kidnapping.
Indiana woman gets 6½ years for financing terrorism
An Indiana woman who pleaded guilty to providing financial support to the Islamic State group has been sentenced to 6½ years in prison, the Justice Department said Monday.
Ex-Portage mayor faces retrial on bribery charge
A former northwestern Indiana mayor is facing a December retrial on a federal charge alleging that he solicited a bribe from two local businessmen.
Gang member who says he beat up R. Kelly sentenced in deaths
A convicted gang member who said he beat up jailed R&B singer R. Kelly in a Chicago cell in August has been sentenced by an Indiana court to life in prison for a racketeering conviction that involved two 1999 murders.
Web Exclusive: Jury social media cautions revamped
Twenty years ago, most people learned about major court cases and trials from newspapers or local television stations. But with myriad online distribution channels and social media available at virtually everyone’s fingertips, staying up to date with the latest news has become and more accessible than ever.
Retired Magistrate Judge Cherry to serve Southern District as criminal duty magistrate
A retired magistrate judge of Indiana’s Northern District Court has been temporarily assigned to provide targeted assistance in the Indianapolis division of the Southern District Court, Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson announced Thursday.
Protester who lost eye due to tear gas sues Fort Wayne, police for excessive force
A Fort Wayne man who lost his eye during a Black Lives Matter protest after the death of George Floyd is now suing the city and local police department for excessive force and violation of his First Amendment rights.
Former union head sentenced for ordering assault on workers
A former Indiana union leader was sentenced Wednesday to 42 months in prison for his role in an assault on a group of nonunion ironworkers at a church.
Online admission ceremony celebrates new lawyers, honors Justice Ginsburg
The Indiana Supreme Court hosted the Fall 2020 Bar Admission Ceremony by videoconference Monday in keeping with safeguards of hosting once events online amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of the speakers encouraged new Indiana lawyers to look to the example of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Fall 2020 Indiana bar admission ceremony to be held virtually
For the second time this year, new Indiana attorneys will be taking their oaths via videoconference during the Fall 2020 Bar Admission Ceremony, the Indiana Supreme Court has announced.
Justices accept Northern District’s negligence certified question
The Indiana Supreme Court has accepted a certified question on the issue negligence, granting a request to resolve a jurisdictional split within the Northern Indiana District Court over whether store managers may be liable in slip-and-fall cases.
Serve and protect: Shooting of federal judge’s family sparks safety reform recommendations
After the shooting of a district judge’s son and husband at her home in New Jersey, Hoosier federal jurists say they live daily with the reality of threats to their safety. The judicial Conference has adopted a series of recommendations aimed at safeguarding the federal bench.
Indiana teachers hit by pellets in training drill sue police
A group of teachers at a northern Indiana elementary school who were struck and injured last year by plastic pellets during an active shooter training drill are suing local police, accusing them of using excessive force during what the lawsuit calls the “Execution Style Drill.”
Hammerle on… Court humor
Even though court appearances are rare these days, let me reflect on some funny moments that I treasure.