Murder convictions ineligible for expungement, appeals court rules
An Indiana trial court properly denied expungement to an out-of-state inmate convicted of murder in Indiana, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
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Reversal reinstates INDOT revocation of Hamilton County billboard permit
The Indiana Department of Transportation was within its authority to revoke longstanding permits for nonconforming billboards along State Road 32 in Hamilton County, an appeals court ruled, reversing regulatory and trial court rulings in favor of the billboard owners. A trade group had warned such a ruling could lead to billboard permit revocations “any time, for any reason.”
Caesars puts pandemic losses at $2B, wants insurers to pay
Casino giant Caesars Entertainment Inc. is putting its losses because of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 at more than $2 billion, and is suing a long list of insurance carriers it accuses of balking at paying its business interruption costs at its casinos in Indiana and across the nation.
Indiana lawmakers require civics class for middle schoolers
A bill incorporating civics education into Hoosier students’ middle school curriculum is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk after House lawmakers voted Thursday to pass the measure.
Voting rights, hate crimes on Senate’s “big, bold” agenda
Wrapping up the most tumultuous Senate start in recent memory, new Majority Leader Chuck Schumer took stock of accomplishments including the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 rescue while vowing action ahead on voting rights, hate crimes and mounting Democratic priorities hitting stiff opposition from Republicans.
Romney gets Profile in Courage Award for impeachment vote
U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney was named the recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Friday for splitting with his party and becoming the only Republican to vote to convict former President Donald Trump during his first impeachment trial.
Dominion Voting sues Fox for $1.6B over 2020 election claims
Dominion Voting Systems filed a $1.6 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News on Friday, arguing the cable news giant falsely claimed in an effort to boost faltering ratings that the voting company had rigged the 2020 election.
Lawmakers press Big Tech CEOs on speech responsibility
The CEOs of tech giants Facebook, Twitter and Google faced a grilling Thursday in Congress as lawmakers tried to draw them into acknowledging their companies’ roles in fueling the January insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and rising COVID-19 vaccine misinformation.
Leadership in Law nominations open with new honors added
Nominations for Indiana Lawyer’s Leadership in Law Awards are now open as the annual recognition program prepares for its biggest honors yet. In addition to the traditional 15 Distinguished Barrister and 15 Up and Coming Lawyer Awards, Leadership in Law is adding two new categories of honorees for 2021.
1 of 2 arson convictions vacated for man who burned parole office
A man who set fire to a government building to destroy evidence of pornography constituting parole violations will have one of his arson convictions vacated after the Indiana Court of Appeals used recent caselaw to find a double jeopardy violation.
Justices: Juvenile convicted of attempted murder failed to show parent ‘essential’
When juvenile defendants are tried in adult court, parents who are also witnesses may be excluded from witness-separation orders if their children establish them as “essential” to the presentation of evidence, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled. However, applying that holding to the facts of the case before them, justices concluded an Elkhart County teen failed to establish his mom was “essential” to his attempted murder defense.
Appellate panel upholds child molesting conviction despite evidence error
Despite the erroneous admission of evidence related to pornography, a Huntington County man is not entitled to a new trial on his child molesting conviction, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Tribal court recognition bill returns to House with minor amendment
A bill extending full faith and credit to certain tribal court orders in Indiana is one step closer to the governor’s desk after the Senate this week gave its unanimous endorsement to the legislation. The bill now heads back to the House to consider an amendment that the bill’s author has already said he supports.
Indianapolis keeping mask mandate, virus precautions for now
Indianapolis is keeping its mask mandate and other coronavirus precautions in place for now despite Gov. Eric Holcomb’s decision this week to end Indiana’s statewide mask mandate in early April, Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Thursday.
Senators: Require nursing homes to disclose COVID vaccine data
Nursing homes have to publicly disclose their vaccination rates for flu and pneumonia but there’s no similar mandate for COVID-19 shots, even though the steepest toll from the virus has been among residents of long-term care facilities.
SCOTUS rules accident victims can sue Ford in state courts
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled Thursday that the Ford Motor Co. can be sued in the state courts of people who were killed or seriously injured in accidents involving Ford vehicles.
Colorado shooting suspect makes his 1st court appearance
Three days after he was led away in handcuffs from a Boulder supermarket where 10 people were fatally shot, the suspect appeared in court Thursday for the first time and his defense lawyer asked for a health assessment “to address his mental illness.”
Mass shooters exploited gun laws, loopholes before carnage
The suspect in the shooting at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket was convicted of assaulting a high school classmate but still got a gun. The man accused of opening fire on three massage businesses in the Atlanta area bought his gun just hours before the attack — no waiting required. They are the latest suspected U.S. mass shooters to obtain guns because of limited firearms laws, background check lapses or law enforcement’s failure to heed warnings of concerning behavior.
Senate panel narrowly advances Lake, St. Joe judicial nominating bill
A bill that would change how superior court judges are nominated in Lake and St. Joseph counties was uniformly opposed by lawyers and judges from those counties in a Senate hearing Wednesday but narrowly advanced on a 5-4 vote.
Anderson officer shoots, kills man firing gun on busy street
A central Indiana police officer exchanged gunfire with a man, fatally shooting him, as the officer responded to reports of a man firing a weapon along a busy street, police said.