ACLU report finds alarming rights abuses by law enforcement, judges
Getting into debt is easy, but people who fall behind in payments can find themselves fending off aggressive debt collectors, acquiescing courts and even incarceration.
Marilyn Odendahl
Articles
Holiday spirit generous to ILAS
The annual holiday giving campaign brought in more joy last year for the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society. The nonprofit received a total $164,068, an increase of roughly $10,000 from the previous year.
Court of Appeals again reverses, finds for New York lender
In a second dispute involving an Indiana business, a New York company, stopped payments and cognovit notes, the Indiana Court of Appeals has again reversed and found in favor of EBF Partners.
Court finds man with multiple addresses still lived at home
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed summary judgment in favor of the estate of a man who died in South Bend, lived and worked in Chicago, but considered his principal residence to be his parents’ home.
COA: State Fair board did not chill china painter’s free speech
The Indiana Court of Appeals gave a cold reception to a painter’s argument that the Indiana State Fair Board’s power to ban her from art competitions at the annual state fair “chilled” her right to free speech.
Indiana joins new effort to end Obamacare
Indiana has joined a 20-state coalition in a renewed attempt to overturn the Affordable Care Act, arguing the changes to the individual mandate brought by the 2017 tax reform render the entire healthcare law unconstitutional.
Democrat’s call for interim study of DCS passes Senate committee
A resolution calling for a review of the Indiana Department of Child Services passed the Indiana Senate Committee on Family and Children Services Monday. The study committee would meet for the next two interim sessions starting this year.
2nd Circuit joins 7th in extending Title VII protections
About 11 months after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals issued its landmark ruling which found Title VII does prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals has reached the same conclusion.
ACLU report: Debtors’ prisons no longer relic of Dickensian past
Hoosiers who bounce a check, fall behind in rent, or owe even a few dollars can find themselves arrested and thrown in jail, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union released this week that examines the rise of debtor’s prison in the United States.
DCS, CHINS bills continue to sail through Statehouse
A slew of bills aimed at helping youngsters designated as children in need of services and another targeting overdue child support payments cleared legislative committees Wednesday with no opposing votes.
17 Marion County judges begin new retention process, 3 opt to retire
Marion County will start its new judicial selection process next month with the interviews of 17 judges who want to stand for retention in the November 2018 elections. Three other judges — Democrats Thomas Carroll and Rebekah Pierson-Treacy and Republican Michael Keele — have decided to retire at the end of this year.
Three Marion County judges retiring at the end of 2018
Three Marion County judges will retire from the bench at the end of this year as the new process for selecting and retaining Indianapolis judges will get underway next month with the first-ever retention interviews by the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee.
Amid another call for defunding, LSC asking for an increase
The Legal Services Corp.’s request for a nearly $175 million increase in funding over the current level for fiscal year 2019 has again been snubbed by the Trump Administration which is calling for the elimination of all federal money to the legal aid agency next year.
Notre Dame law students’ Impowerus wins raves for empowering immigrant teens
Notre Dame Law students created an online platform — Impowerus — designed to connect pro bono attorneys with people who need legal services. What sets this product apart from the other sites is its focus — a specific demographic, immigrant youth — and its aim to be self-sufficient, charging lawyers licensing fees rather than relying on donations.
Slower pace follows flurry of same-sex marriage decisions
From the filing of the first complaint in 2014 to an appellate court decision, Indiana’s ban on same-sex marriage was overturned in a little less than seven months. Subsequent cases regarding rights and discrimination against gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender individuals have slowed considerably.
Waiting on DCS report, legislature is not idle
Lawmakers have offered more than a dozen bills to address a growing children in need of services crisis, many of which have won broad support in the General Assembly.
Med-mal, PI firm reorganizes, ready for next 38 years
After almost 38 years in business, Montross Miller Muller Mendelson & Kennedy has undergone a significant reorganization. Two founding partners, John Muller and Tilden Mendelson, retired in 2017, and all four associates — Nathan Miller, Belinda Kunczt, Brad Kallmyer and Kerri Farmer — have been made partners.
Republican votes push 7th Circuit nominee Brennan to full Senate
Michael Brennan, Wisconsin nominee to the 7th Circuit of Appeals, was narrowly approved by the U.S. Committee on the Judiciary on a party-line vote Thursday. His nomination now proceeds to the U.S. Senate for a confirmation vote.
7th Circuit to hear arguments over Indiana’s abortion law
Indiana’s controversial law that limits a woman’s ability to obtain an abortion will be argued before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday morning. The 2016 law that was barred from taking effect by a federal judge in Indianapolis will be the subject of oral arguments in an appeal brought by the state.
Former ND law clinic employee pleads guilty to 11 felonies
The former employee of the University of Notre Dame who was charged with taking nearly $200,000 from the law school’s Clinical Law Center will plead guilty plea and faces up to five years in prison.