Case illustrates the value of legal-medical partnership
The impact of the Midtown/Indiana Legal Services Medical Legal Partnership is life-altering for an Indianapolis great-grandmother and grandson.
Marilyn Odendahl
Articles
ABA task force sees role for many in helping to fix legal education
In its review of legal education, a special committee led by retired Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall Shepard concluded that fixing the problems in law schools will require help from individuals and groups outside the classroom.
Indiana’s 5th law school opens
The Indiana Tech Law School opened Aug. 26 in Fort Wayne with an inaugural class of 30 students. Within the Allen County legal community, the new law school has drawn mixed reaction.
Farm smells ignite debate but no consensus reached
Before dinner can be prepared and served at the table, the food has to be raised on a farm. However, Old MacDonald’s Farm with its placid scenes of pigs and cows is a shrinking segment of American farming, being replaced with large industrial agricultural operations with hundreds and thousands of animals.
Gary Mayor reminds MCBA of history, pushes action
Gary mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson implored members of the Marion County Bar Association to speak up because the gains made by previous generations of African-Americans are being rolled back.
Split COA reverses its original decision on rehearing
Saying “plea agreements should be more artfully drafted,” a split Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed an award of restitution against a Daviess County man whose plea agreement was silent on the matter of restitution.
‘The State is the State’ and they share the same fate, Supreme Court rules
The Indiana Department of Correction’s motion to obligate a convicted sex offender to continue registering was blocked by the Indiana Supreme Court on the grounds that “the State is the State.”
Mother may petition for college expenses for emancipated children
Two amendments made by the Indiana General Assembly to the termination of child support and emancipation statute allow for a mother’s college support petition for two emancipated children to stand.
Open Door violation not worth $8K, COA rules
A group of petitioners who prevailed on an Indiana Open Door Law violation will get reimbursed for attorney fees, but the amount will be reduced by nearly $5,000 after a trial court found the group was requesting money for work unrelated to the claim.
Threats of violence sufficient to order involuntary commitment
Although an Indianapolis man never harmed another individual, his persistent threats of violence were sufficient to support his involuntary commitment to a mental health facility.
In adoption case with no winners, SC offers suggestions to avoid similar situations
In reversing the adoption that could remove fraternal twins from the only family they have ever known, the Indiana Supreme Court noted the situation might have been avoided if more than “just the bare minimum” had been done.
Change in state statute gets public intoxication conviction overturned
Although the evidence showed the man was intoxicated in public, the Indiana Court of Appeals overturned his conviction because he was not a threat to public safety.
No new trial for defendant who discovered pitfalls of proceeding pro se
A defendant’s request for a do-over after representing himself at trial and being found guilty was denied by the Indiana Court of Appeals with the admonishment “proceeding pro se is riddled with pitfalls.”
Northern District judge tosses challenge to Indiana immigration law
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit challenging portions of Indiana’s immigration law passed in 2011.
Community-caretaking duties permits warrantless search
A warrantless search that led to discovery of marijuana and a handgun did not violate the Fourth Amendment because the police found the items as part of their “community-caretaking” duties.
Interim criminal law study committee to examine sentencing questions
The process to correct and clarify House Enrolled Act 1006, the massive piece of legislation overhauling the state’s criminal code, will begin Aug. 15 at the first meeting of the Indiana General Assembly’s Criminal Law and Sentencing Policy Study Committee.
Pending petition for child support becomes applicable after Legislature amends statute
A trial court will have to reconsider its ruling in a child support dispute in light of a state law that was changed while an appeal of the case was pending.
Observation and training provided ‘reasonable suspicion’ to conduct traffic stop
A man’s voluntary confession that he was a habitual traffic violator is admissible even though he had not broken any laws when the sheriff’s deputy pulled him over.
Mandatory use of E-Verify could bring new headaches for US companies
The red hot economy of the 1990s demanded a steady supply of unskilled and semi-skilled labor, a demand that was often filled with undocumented workers. Cities across the Midwest openly welcomed these individuals. Companies, trying to feed an insatiable appetite for workers, were placing help-wanted ads in newspapers in other states.
Accused murderers likely to stay in jail awaiting trial
When the Indiana Supreme Court upended 150 years of precedent concerning murder defendants, it raised eyebrows and stirred debate but, in practice, the impact of the opinion is expected to be very limited.