Notre Dame Law School Dean Nell Jessup Newton is leaving a legacy of academic rigor and sustained support, and appreciative colleagues recently gave her a spirited send-off. An Indiana abortion case recently took center stage at the United States Supreme Court as the landmark Roe v. Wade decision comes under increasing challenges nationwide. Five years after a court decision affirmed marriage equality in Indiana, some same sex couples see progress mixed with worrying signs.

Notre Dame Law School Dean Nell Jessup Newton is leaving a legacy of academic rigor and sustained support, and appreciative colleagues recently gave her a spirited send-off. An Indiana abortion case recently took center stage at the United States Supreme Court as the landmark Roe v. Wade decision comes under increasing challenges nationwide. Five years after a court decision affirmed marriage equality in Indiana, some same sex couples see progress mixed with worrying signs. 
 

A slowdown in getting urgently needed cash to agencies that aid domestic violence victims has led to dire results, including the closure of at least one Indiana shelter. Contamination at the site of the proposed Marion County Community Justice Center is raising concerns among judges. As civil commitment cases soar in Indiana and elsewhere, laws regarding the handling of mental health cases are shifting across states.

The shooting of two Clark County judges in Indianapolis recently appears to have more unresolved answers than questions.
IU McKinney students are bringing energy, enthusiasm and prospects for a better future to participants in a federal court re-entry program. The Indiana legal community is remembering two Hoosier giants of the United States Senate who died within weeks of each other — Birch Bayh and Richard Lugar.
 

An Indiana Lawyer review of public records suggests Attorney General Curtis Hill may have used taxpayer dollars to pay for ethics counsel in his ongoing sexual misconduct matters. The lawyer who owns a bucolic Brown County hamlet is selling, paving the way for someone else to write Story's next chapter. The Indiana General Assembly passed a few Department of Child Services reforms, but many lawmakers said this year's measurs are just a first step.

With spring in the air, we check in on Indianapolis attorney Bret Clement, who, when not working his day job, might be found developing new varieties of daylilies. Changes are coming to the Indiana Child Support Guidelines, and lawyers can now have their say about the proposals. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Dean Andrew Klein plans to go back to the classroom next year after leading the school through a rough patch for legal education.

 

The attorney discipline complaint against Attorney General Curtis Hill is raising new questions about the nature of the process itself and what a potential sanction against him could mean for his ability to serve. Indiana has been absent from a record pace of law firm mergers, but numerous firms are growing in other ways. Two legal aid efforts are helping people maintain stable housing.

After a vulnerable Indianapolis man was put out of his home that he unwittingly signed over to a relative, lawyers helped him fight back against exploitation. The execution of a man on Alabama's death row hit home for Indiana lawyers who had sought justice for the man for years. Foster families may not get standing in court in child-welfare cases this year, but numerous other DCS reform bills appear poised to pass the Indiana General Assembly.
 

Legislation moving through the Indiana Statehouse takes aim at predatory real estate practices, seeking to tame the "Wild West" nature of some land-sale contracts. The United States Supreme Court answered some questions in a landmark Indiana civil forfeiture decision, but other questions — and cases — remain. A legal aid initiative started in 2016 has since helped improve the lives of hundreds of clients with disabilities.