Former Carmel swim coach sentenced for sexual exploitation
A former Carmel swim coach has been sentenced to 16 years and eight months in federal prison for sexually exploiting one of the girls he coached.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
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Investiture ceremony for Judge Hanlon Friday
Judge James Patrick Hanlon, the newest addition to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, will be formally sworn in at a special ceremony starting at 2 p.m. Friday in the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse. Southern Indiana Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson will preside over the en banc ceremony in the William E. Steckler Ceremonial Courtroom.
Indiana federal courts work as funds dwindle amid shutdown
In the Southern and Northern Indiana district courts, no workers have been furloughed and no pay periods have been skipped, but with the federal judiciary estimating it has funding only to sustain current levels of operations through the end of January, Hoosier jurisdictions are preparing for potential changes.
Indiana case shines spotlight on solitary confinement
No one denies that Aaron Isby-Israel made bad, even criminal, choices that landed him in the Indiana Department of Correction. What is disputed is whether Isby should have remained in solitary confinement for a total of 28 years.
Federal courts’ cost-cutting extends funding another week
With the partial shutdown of the federal government the longest in history, the federal judiciary announced its cost-cutting measures have given it enough funding to remain in session at least until Jan. 25.
Truckers sue the state for increased toll road fees
A group of truck drivers is suing Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb for the increases in toll road fees that took effect last year along the 157-mile Indiana Toll Road across the northernmost counties of the state.
Judge: State’s ‘bureaucratic quagmire’ harms disabled woman
The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration has 21 days to arrange home health care for an elderly woman with quadriplegia who has been confined to a hospital or nursing home since February 2016, a federal judge has ruled. The decision comes after the judge ruled previously that the FSSA’s failure to develop a home-based care plan violated the woman’s rights under three federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Ex-DOC nurse faces sanctions for allegedly false affidavits
A former Department of Correction nurse who treated an inmate now suing DOC for excessive force was on the stand in federal court Tuesday, facing possible sanctions after she allegedly submitted false statements claiming to be unaware of the inmate’s accusations.
Federal judiciary operating on limited funds during shutdown
Federal courts are operating on limited funds during the partial shutdown of the federal government and are working to continue sustaining paid operations through Jan. 18, according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.
Indiana’s abortion petition relisted at U.S. Supreme Court
Indiana’s petition for a review of its 2016 abortion law is still pending at the Supreme Court of the United States after the justices relisted the Hoosier state’s writ of certiorari for this Friday’s conference. The state is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a preliminary injunction blocking the implementation of a law that limits when a woman may terminate her pregnancy and mandates how fetal remains should be handled.
Sovereign citizen’s prison religion suit may be revisited
An Indiana prisoner and professed sovereign citizen who claimed his religious rights were violated when he was forbidden from fully participating in certain religious services may get another review, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
IMPD officers sued for destroying homeless camp
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a lawsuit Wednesday against two as yet unidentified Indianapolis police officers, alleging they unlawfully seized and destroyed the belongings of five homeless individuals who had been living under a railroad bridge.
Federal court rebuffs latest Monarch-linked liquor law challenge
An Indiana motor carrier’s attempt to transport liquor for a Michigan City wholesaler has been blocked by the Southern Indiana District Court, which found the proposed arrangement could potentially circumvent Indiana’s three-tiered alcohol distribution and sales system.
Ex-officers’ wiretap lawsuit against Pittsboro police advances
A lawsuit by former officers against Pittsboro police claiming the department secretly recorded their conversations in violation of federal wiretapping laws will proceed, a federal judge has ruled.
Judge threatens sanctions in DOC suit; attorneys claim honest mistakes
Two Indianapolis attorneys accused of filing false declarations on behalf of their state clients in an inmate’s excessive force lawsuit are facing federal court sanctions for the alleged misconduct, though the attorneys claim the issues giving rise to the court’s concerns were the result of honest mistakes.
Lawyer doesn’t help his own cause in federal court discipline matter
A Merrillville lawyer who asked the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana to reconsider discipline imposed on him drew a harsh reply from the court, which said his conduct “lends further support to … concerns about his competence as a lawyer.” The district court denied John H. Davis' motion to reconsider his removal from the court's Roll of Attorneys last week.
Trump says he’s eager to sign sweeping criminal justice bill
The Senate passed a sweeping criminal justice bill Tuesday that addresses concerns that the nation’s war on drugs had led to the imprisonment of too many Americans for nonviolent crimes without adequately preparing them for their return to society.
Rent-to-own lawsuits rise in federal, state courts
Katrina Carter and Quentin Lintner are continuing to fight for their piece of the American dream even after the Indiana Court of Appeals closed the door on their attempt to get restitution from the company that put them in an uninhabitable home under a rent-to-own contract. They are not alone in litigation arising from such arrangements.
Multiple Indiana voting laws on trial in federal court
Indiana, like many states, has been amending and enacting new voting laws in the name of stamping out voter fraud. Lawyers and civic organizations are challenging laws and regulations that they believe are restricting the right to vote.
USA Gymnastics bankruptcy might leave sex-abuse victims unpaid
Indianapolis-based USA Gymnastics, under threat of being decertified by the U.S. Olympic Committee, filed for bankruptcy after running short of funds to pay victims of Larry Nassar’s sexual abuse.