Almost immediately after the coronavirus reached the United States, criminal justice advocates sounded the alarm on behalf of the incarcerated. Inmates in county jails, state prisons and federal penitentiaries are at a higher risk of contracting the virus, advocates say, simply because of the nature of their living conditions. The result of release efforts has been a mixed bag.
It’s now year six of an ongoing battle between the Indiana Department of Correction and a Washington, D.C., lawyer who wants to know the drugs used in Indiana’s lethal injection cocktail and who supplies them. In those six years, a public records request, a lawsuit and a legislative change have propelled the dispute to the Indiana Supreme Court, which now has a consequential ruling in its hands.
A divided panel of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated a sales commission dispute, though the dissenting judge would hold that the Northern District of Indiana’s grant of summary judgment was proper.
After two previous schedule changes, interviews of candidates to fill an upcoming vacancy on the Indiana Court of Appeals will be held remotely next week, a move the courts say will allow the process to move forward while respecting continuing social distancing guidelines.
The man convicted nearly 15 years ago in the killing of Indiana University student Jill Behrman will be released from custody later this month after the same judge who granted his request for habeas relief last year also granted his bid for coronavirus-related release.
The longstanding dispute over whether the Indiana Department of Correction can keep the identities of its lethal-injection drug suppliers secret reached the Indiana Supreme Court this week, with the parties offering strongly divergent views on Hoosier public access laws and constitutional rights.
The Marion man at the center of an Indiana civil forfeiture case that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court reached a milestone in his case this week when his vehicle was returned to him. However, the court battle is not over.
A man seeking post-conviction relief from a nearly two-year contempt sentence did not persuade the Indiana Court of Appeals that his counsel was ineffective, though one judge on the panel noted her vote would have been different if the case were in a different procedural posture.
The coronavirus pandemic seems to be the push many people needed. Most clients, estate planning lawyers say, tend to put off preparing their documents, usually believing that they still have time. But with the continuance of the COVID-19 pandemic and the daily coverage of case counts and death tolls, attitudes have changed.
Suspended Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill will be reinstated to the practice of law June 17, and he’s said he’s using the time in the interim to “reflect on lessons learned.” His chief deputy, Aaron Negangard, is overseeing the office while Hill serves his suspension, but a lawsuit filed May 21 challenges Hill’s authority to make that appointment.
Though there have been some technical hiccups, lawyers report generally positive experiences with remote appellate oral arguments. Even so, some advocates say the most impactful arguments are made in person.
A lawyer and hobbyist photographer known for his litany of federal copyright lawsuits has lost an appeal for the reinstatement of a state-court action and has also been ordered to pay his opponent’s appellate attorney fees.
A man convicted of felony drug dealing will now be able to appeal his 12-year sentence after the Indiana Supreme Court on Friday determined his appellate waiver was not knowing and voluntary.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said he will take no further action toward possibly appointing an interim attorney general after the Indiana Supreme Court on Monday denied his request for clarification on whether AG Curtis Hill’s ongoing suspension means he has “vacated” his elected position.
The Indiana Supreme Court has denied Gov. Eric Holcomb’s request for clarification on whether now-suspended Attorney General Curtis Hill has temporarily vacated his office due to his suspension. The ruling means, at least for now, Hill’s chief deputy will remain in charge of the legal operations of the Indiana Office of the Attorney General.
A decision from the Indiana Supreme Court on whether Attorney General Curtis Hill will “vacate” his office during his impending suspension likely will not be handed down until next week, creating uncertainty over whether the Office of the Attorney General will have a recognized leader come Monday.
An Indiana man who has been appealing for 10 years his convictions of molesting his daughter won no relief at the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled Thursday that errors in his trial “did not produce a significant likelihood an innocent person was convicted.”
Joining the trend of appellate courts nationwide, the Indiana Supreme Court on Thursday took the historic step of hearing oral arguments via videoconference in light of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
As he prepares to begin a 30-day suspension of his law license, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is doubling down on his campaign efforts and making his case for reelection as he courts delegates for next month’s Indiana Republican Convention.
For the first time in Indiana history, the elected attorney general has been suspended. But what the discipline means for Attorney General Curtis Hill remains to be seen.