Drug-dog sniff after traffic stop was rightly suppressed
A southern Indiana trial court rightly suppressed drug evidence gathered after a police drug-sniffing dog indicated the presence of meth in a van after a traffic stop.
Dave Stafford
Articles
Increased bail is abuse of discretion, panel rules
A trial court abused its discretion when it raised a defendant’s bail in a meth possession case, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
Justices to hear convictions reversed due to prosecutor’s arguments
The case of a man whose two convictions of sexual misconduct with a minor were reversed on appeal because of a prosecutor’s overzealous arguments will go to the Indiana Supreme Court.
Judge rejects interlocutory appeal in Marion Superior judiciary challenge
A federal judge has denied the state of Indiana’s motion for an interlocutory appeal, signaling that a trial probably won’t be needed in a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of how Marion Superior judges are elected.
Justices reject Spierer-obsessed man’s appeal of gun confiscation
The Indiana Supreme Court will not hear an appeal from a man whose 51 guns and ammunition were seized after authorities became alarmed by his behavior near the site where missing Indiana University student Lauren Spierer was last seen.
7th Circuit blocks Obamacare ‘contraception mandate’
Roman Catholic employers – including the owners of an Indiana company – won a Circuit Court ruling Friday blocking the “contraception mandate” contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.
Attorney voting for Judicial Nominating Commission to be extended
The voting process to select a lawyer representative to the Judicial Nominating Commission by more than 7,400 eligible attorneys will be extended due to an undetermined glitch that resulted in some lawyers not receiving ballots.
Delayed jail releases common, says witness in judge’s discipline case
A senior judge who presided in a Marion Superior criminal court for more than a dozen years testified Friday that delayed releases of defendants from jail are a problem with the county’s entire judicial system and not limited to the court of a judge facing discipline for that and other charges.
Judge denies Brizzi’s bid for gag order in malpractice suit
A judge Tuesday denied former Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi’s request for a gag order in the legal malpractice claim filed against him by defrocked Indiana Secretary of State Charlie White.
‘Marijuana legal elsewhere’ claim no help in parental termination appeal
Termination of parental rights was properly granted for a molesting father in federal prison and a drug-using mother who failed to comply with court-ordered services after striking a child.
Trial court errantly suppressed DUI evidence
A Marion Superior Court should not have suppressed evidence of intoxication of a man who was taken to a roll-call station on suspicion of drunken driving, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Post-conviction claim allowed in DOC placement change
Offenders may seek post-conviction relief from Department of Correction placement changes, the Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday after the state revised its view that a claim should be dismissed.
Appeals court affirms revoked probation after test shows marijuana
A man ordered to serve 90 days of a suspended one-year sentence for a conviction of misdemeanor marijuana possession wasn’t denied due process when his probation officer admitted evidence of a positive urinalysis, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Conour online asset auction begins, will run 2 weeks
An auction of wine, art, home furnishings and other assets seized from the Carmel home of imprisoned former wrongful-death attorney William Conour begins Tuesday and will continue for two weeks, according to the Texas auction company handling the sale.
Service-animal suit against Evansville schools proceeds
A federal lawsuit brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act after Evansville schools adopted a policy restricting the use of service animals will proceed.
Aye Chihuahua! Dog’s domain remains Indiana, appeals court rules
Sofie, the black-and-white Chihuahua-rat terrier mix, stays in Indiana, the Court of Appeals affirmed in a canine custody challenge.
David, Massa stake key positions on court
A review of the work of the Indiana Supreme Court in 2012 by Barnes & Thornburg LLP attorneys finds Justices Steven David and Mark Massa establishing themselves respectively as swing votes and active dissenters.
Program provides lawyers trial run at oral argument
A novel program offered by the Indianapolis Bar Association and the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, the Indiana Appellate Institute gives lawyers a trial run in which they can practice their arguments before a panel of volunteer lawyers and sometimes former judges and justices.
County official puts Indiana’s expungement statute on trial
Morgan County Prosecutor Steve Sonnega has heard the criticism that he’s on the wrong side of the law when he argues that Indiana’s expungement statute is unconstitutional. But he insists he’s right.
Filings continue to drop, as does funding for Indiana courts
A sharp decline in infraction and ordinance-violation cases is among factors that resulted in courts around the state collecting considerably less revenue, according to data released in the annual Judicial Service Reports.