The murder conviction against the man found guilty of killing Indiana University student Jill Behrman has been reinstated after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined that his counsel was deficient, but not prejudicial.
With the implementation of Criminal Rule 26 in January, courts across Indiana have been required to begin using evidence-based practices to make pretrial release decisions. But do those practices actually improve the criminal justice system?
The deaths of Daniel Lewis Lee, Wesley Ira Purkey and Dustin Honken roused the anger of civil liberties lawyers, who say the executions were carried out in a rushed and even unlawful manner. The overarching question in public discussion has been “why” — why did Attorney General William Barr make the executions a priority? And why were they carried out while the country was dealing with a pandemic, racial unrest and a looming election?
Notre Dame Law School’s new Religious Liberty Clinic is designed to train lawyers in all practice areas to grapple with issues of religious freedom. “It’s critical that if we fight for freedom of religion, it’s for freedom of all religious faiths or no faith at all,” Dean G. Marcus Cole said.
Caseload standards imposed by the Indiana Public Defender Commission are likely higher than the caseloads public defenders should carry, meaning current practices do not give public defenders sufficient time to provide effective representation.
Controversy over Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb’s statewide mask mandate has spilled over into the race for attorney general, with Democratic candidate Jonathan Weinzapfel accusing Republican candidateTodd Rokita of purposefully declining to stand with the governor.
Following two dismissals from the Indiana Southern District Court, the four women who have accused Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of sexual misconduct are taking their claims for battery, defamation and invasion of privacy to state court.
Gov. Eric Holcomb lacks the authority to enforce the statewide mask mandate he announced on Wednesday and should call a special session if he wants to implement the requirement, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill said late Wednesday.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission did not overstep its bounds when it granted a municipal sewer company exclusive license to do business in unincorporated areas near Muncie, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled, finding Indiana Code gave the IURC jurisdiction in the Delaware County dispute.
With in-person proceedings largely called off, adoptive families have had to adjust their plans. But as long as a case is uncontested, lawyers say judges have been willing to hold final hearings via Zoom or other platforms to give these families a sense of finality. And in some cases, adoptions in the age of COVID-19 have become a cause for community celebration.
Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel continues to lead fundraising in the Indiana attorney general race, finishing the second quarter of 2020 with more than $720,000 available to his campaign. His Republican counterpart, former Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita, posted a total of a little more than $18,200 at the end of the second quarter, about two months after he entered the race.
A 3-2 Indiana Supreme Court decision last month ruled that Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination extends to court orders for a suspect to unlock her cellphone. Other states, however, have taken the opposite stance, setting the stage for a likely US Supreme Court case.
With the candidates now in place, what has so far been an unconventional race for Indiana Attorney General is shifting gears toward the November election. Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel, a former state representative and mayor of Evansville, is promoting himself as the attorney general of the people, not the party. He’ll face off against former Indiana Republican Rep. Todd Rokita, a known quantity in the Hoosier state who is promising “certainty in uncertain times.”
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
Failure to follow local court rules led to defeat for a would-be developer suing the city of Indianapolis, an outcome upheld Wednesday by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
In the aftermath of a convention defeat that will keep him from serving a second term in office, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is vowing to “continue to support and fight for our conservative principles.” Hill, however, did not explicitly endorse Republican AG nominee Todd Rokita.
A man convicted as a teenager of an Elkhart murder has been granted habeas relief after a federal judge determined both his trial and post-conviction counsel were ineffective.
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
A federal judge has struck down another Indiana abortion law as unconstitutional, continuing a years-long streak of court action against Hoosier abortion legislation. However, the state also secured a victory when the same judge upheld a requirement that abortion clinics be inspected annually.
The owner of an embattled Charlestown zoo is now facing possible contempt sanctions after defying court orders against animal exhibition, acquisition and removal. It’s the latest installment in a long-running legal saga for a man who appears in the popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King.”