JNC recertifies 2 senior judges
Two senior judges have been recertified for another year of service in Indiana. Cynthia Amber of Fort Wayne and Carol Jane Orbison of Indianapolis were recertified as senior judges in a Feb. 25 order.
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Supreme Court likely to uphold Arizona voting restrictions
The Supreme Court appeared ready Tuesday to uphold voting restrictions in Arizona in a key case that could make it harder to challenge a raft of other voting measures Republicans have proposed following last year’s elections.
Biden urges Senate Democrats to rally behind $1.9T virus bill
President Joe Biden urged Senate Democrats to rally behind a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill and stood by his proposed $1,400 payments to individuals, even as some party moderates sought to dial back parts of the package.
AES Indiana seeks to boost electric vehicle use with incentives that could raise rates
Electric vehicles account for a tiny fraction of the cars on the road today, but electric utility AES Indiana wants to boost that number by offering a raft of rebates and other incentives to customers who drive them.
Casino exec Ratcliff permanently banned from Indiana gambling industry
Longtime Indiana casino executive Rod Ratcliff has been permanently banned from the state’s gambling industry. Ratcliff, who previously served as chairman and CEO of Centaur Gaming and as CEO and chairman of Spectacle Entertainment, has been entangled in a battle with the Indiana Gaming Commission for months, as the state agency has been investigating Ratcliff and his companies.
Protect and serve: Indiana Capitol Police take pride in patrolling Statehouse, Circle City
Indiana Capitol Police say they feel a special sense of pride and honor carrying out their duties of safeguarding the Indiana Statehouse and many other Circle City landmarks. They feel they are doing something especially important for fellow Hoosiers.
Thinking small: Attorneys see opportunity in stepping away from big law
At the start of 2021, family law practitioners and longtime colleagues James Reed and Michael Kohlhaas made a career move that runs counter to the current trend — they went from big to boutique.
ABA urges key reforms on student loan debt
In an effort to address the crushing weight posed by student loan debt, the American Bar Association House of Delegates adopted a resolution penned by a group of young lawyers during its midyear meeting last week. The resolution urges programs to assist law school graduates and law students experiencing financial hardship due to their student loan debt.
Bill aims to prevent ‘social justice prosecuting’
Under a bill in the Statehouse, a prosecutor who establishes a policy of not charging certain offenses would be considered “noncompliant.” But local prosecutors fear changes that would step on their prosecutorial discretion and give the attorney general, a statewide officeholder, a say over her local decisions.
Web Exclusive: New pro bono mediation project resolves family law cases with less time, money
Two Indianapolis lawyers who had an idea to start a pro bono mediation service for family law cases were stunned by the reception from the local legal community, as more than 100 answered a call for volunteers. “It’s mind-blowing,” said one of the organizers of a program described as “blue jeans mediation.”
Stafford: A veteran of Indiana GOP politics looks on, shakes his head
I asked former three-term Indiana Attorney General Linley Pearson, if you were a younger person today, would you run for office? He didn’t hesitate. “There’s no question today I could not be in politics,” he said. “It’s just totally changed, and it’s not very attractive to me. … If you want to exaggerate or malign a person, you could always do that, but do you want to do that?”
Frost Brown Todd moves into D.C., ready to compete
Frost Brown Todd is muscling into the Washington, D.C., market, opening a new office in the nation’s capital and consolidating the firm’s federal public and regulatory practices into the new location.
Pro Bono Matters: Expungement clinics a great chance to provide a second chance
In a world where everything you need to know about a person is in the palm of your hand, some Indiana citizens have a hard time leaving their past mistakes behind. In order to address this, many lawyers dedicate their pro bono efforts to assisting with expungement clinics, which help eligible prior offenders seal certain arrest and conviction records.
Work beginning to create ‘next generation’ bar exam
The bar exam Indiana administered at the end of February is headed for the pile of historic has-beens as the state prepares to switch to another version and the National Conference of Bar Examiners starts the process to overhaul the entire test.
McDermott: Lake, St. Joseph judiciary bill raises questions
The undeniable truth is that there is a long legislative history in this nation of powerful majorities diminishing and silencing the voices of minorities. While I have no reason to believe the motive of the current judicial selection legislation for Lake and St. Joseph counties is racial, this law will undoubtedly have a disproportionally negative effect on citizens who happen to be racial minorities.
Sugarman and Thomas: Can plaintiffs ‘squeeze’ restoration damages out of ELA?
On April 20, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian, No. 17-1498, 140 S.Ct. 1335. The Court’s holding was relatively simple: plaintiffs (Montana landowners) could bring state court claims pursuing cleanup of additional contamination from the “Anaconda Smelter,” but they were first required under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) to seek the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval for additional cleanup. While on its face this decision addresses the interplay between CERCLA and Montana state law claims, the ramifications of Atlantic Richfield may be felt in Indiana.
IndyBar: Does Anyone Else Miss the Red Drink Tickets? How to Network During a Pandemic and Beyond
As a small-firm practitioner who makes her money by providing personal legal services, networking is vital for the continued source of clients I need to support my business and keep my associates busy. Planning committees, nonprofit boards, volunteering, social gatherings and local events were my go-to formula for expanding my circles and getting my name and face in front of people who needed to hire a lawyer for highly personal and sometimes sensitive reasons. They needed to have met me in person. They needed my name to come from someone they knew and trusted. At least, that is what I believed to be the only way, until that way no longer existed. And I am not just saying its disappearance is because of the pandemic.
Kelln and Harrell: Hoosier McCabe’s EPA nomination elevates climate change policies
A little more than four years ago, Hoosier Janet McCabe ended her service as assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation. Since then, the most significant aspects of the Obama-era climate change regulations, namely the Clean Power Plan, have been unwound. Biden’s selection of McCabe signals a doubling down on regulating greenhouse gas emissions.
Doehrmann, List and Hagerty: Coal combustion residual regulation outlook under Biden
It has been just over one month since President Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, and he is delivering on his promise to move quickly. Biden has signed more executive orders in his first 30 days than any president in U.S. history. Perhaps another record-breaking instance is the proportion of these actions that relate to energy and environmental policies.
DTCI: Young Lawyer Spotlight — Ryan Shouse
Meet attorney Ryan Shouse in this ongoing series introducing new DTCI attorneys to the wider legal community.