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The Indiana Supreme Court is set to host its first “Night Court for Legislators” next month for members of the Indiana General Assembly.
As announced by Chief Justice Loretta Rush in her State of the Judiciary address, the “Night Court for Legislators” will feature oral arguments in the Supreme Court Courtroom in the Statehouse.
The justices will hear arguments in the case Angela Y. Smith and Dylan Williams and $11,180 in United States Currency v. State of Indiana, 23S-MI-345, at 5:15 p.m. on Feb. 19.
According to court records, the state had seized $11,180 in a parole-related search of Dylan Williams’s apartment. His aunt, Angela Smith, claimed the money was hers and that she had given it to Williams to hold.
The Marion Superior Court found the currency was subject to forfeiture. Its order, however, did not state Smith did not own the money.
The Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed the trial court’s decision in July 2023 in a memorandum opinion rejecting Smith’s argument that the state did not prove a connection between the currency and criminal activity.
It found that the argument presupposed Smith had standing to make the argument as the owner of the money.
In affirming, Judge Terry Crone wrote: “Smith has not left us with a definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been made here, so we affirm the trial court’s order.”
The high court will be looking at whether the state can seize cash found during the search of the home of a person on parole without first proving it was connected to a crime.
The argument will be livestreamed on the court’s website.
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