Church: First Amendment protects decision to fire gay Indianapolis teacher
Catholic church leaders in Indianapolis are citing the First Amendment as a defense to a lawsuit filed by a teacher who was fired because he’s in a same-sex marriage.
Latest News
Articles
Justices grant transfer, allow PCR case from second appeal
A man convicted of murder may proceed in his second pursuit of post-conviction relief now that the Indiana Supreme Court has concluded his petition addressed only the grounds arising from his second appeal and was therefore not considered a second or successive petition.
COA cautions about sending fetal remains to jury deliberations
Arguments about whether aborted fetal remains from a child molesting case were improperly provided to a jury for consideration and stored in the jury room refrigerator during deliberations were settled by an appellate court Wednesday.
Court tosses ex-Fishers executive’s wire fraud appeal
A man who pleaded guilty to fraudulently wiring money from his Fishers employer to his personal bank account couldn’t convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that his circumstances presented a due process exception to the rule that most written appeal waivers are effective.
Rush reappointed with unanimous support from JNC, justices
Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush will serve a second term as head of the Hoosier judiciary after a unanimous reappointment vote Wednesday from the Judicial Nominating Commission.
Psych exam ordered for man accused of firing gun at VA hospital
A federal judge has ordered a mental health evaluation for an Indianapolis man accused of opening fire at a Chicago veterans hospital earlier this month.
Not a ‘tattooed guy’: Larry Bird wants mural changed
Larry Bird likes the mural but not the tatts. A lawyer for the former NBA star has asked an artist to remove certain tattoos from a large painting of Bird on an Indianapolis multi-family residence. The tattoos include two rabbits mating on his right arm and a spider web on a shoulder.
FBI: Trucker arrested in Indianapolis threatened mass shooting
A truck driver who threatened to “shoot up” a church in Memphis and said he was haunted by “spiritual snakes and spiders” people put in his bed was arrested in Indiana, less than a week before the day of the planned attacks, authorities said in newly filed court records.
Key motivator for Democrat Tallian’s AG bid: ‘Curtis Hill has to go’
Vowing an aggressive campaign in a race that in the past has often been overshadowed by upticket contests, Democratic Indiana Sen. Karen Tallian explained what motivated her to announce her candidacy for attorney general. “My answer is Curtis Hill has to go, and somebody needs to do it, and it needs to be attorneys.”
Web Exclusive: ILS files labor-trafficking suit for migrant workers
A recently filed complaint on behalf of several foreign nationals who have traveled to the United States for work has Indiana Legal Services Migrant Farmworker Law Center attorney Kristin Hoffman excited.
Manpower, technology changes impact low wiretap use
According to data released by the United States Courts, wiretapping in federal and state courts was down by a combined 23 percent in 2018 compared to 2017. Likewise in Indiana, federal and state courts authorized 75 wiretaps in 2017, but only 46 in 2018, according to the data. Experts say staffing and law enforcement resources, as well as the cyclical ebb and flow of complex surveillance work account for the decline.
Collaboration creates appellate pro bono effort for domestic violence survivors
When Faegre Baker Daniels attorney Blayre Marley heard about the pro bono work her colleague Matt Albaugh and Kerry Hyatt Bennett of the Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence were doing for survivors at the appellate level, she jumped at the opportunity to join them.
Tales of the legal frontier: New book records Allen County legal history
As Allen County attorneys tuck their laptops into their briefcases, climb into their cars and accelerate across county lines to represent clients in neighboring communities, they are continuing the tradition of circuit riding that dates from the days when Fort Wayne was just a few hundred settlers who made a living trading furs with the Indians.
Plaintiffs challenge Mich. redistricting panel’s independence
The release of emails in the gerrymandering lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters spurred Michigan residents to strip their legislators of redistricting duties and turn the mapmaking over to an independent commission. However, a new federal lawsuit is challenging the new body, asserting the exclusion of certain individuals violates the First and 14th amendments.
Are noncompetes overly broad?
This year, a group of unions, employment law attorneys and other labor organizations petitioned the Federal Trade Commission to ban noncompete agreements. But while there are some instances where a restrictive covenant can be too restrictive, experts say there are also instances where noncompete clauses are legitimate.
Open House: Plews Shadley transforms mid-century office to modern
Tired. That’s how Chris Braun described the former state of the building at 1350 N. Delaware St. in Indianapolis, the newest addition to the Plews Shadley Racher & Braun campus on the city’s Old Northside. But a recent renovation gave a new lease on life to a mid-century landmark.
Long partisan gerrymandering fight ends, but struggle continues
For a team of Indiana lawyers who successfully litigated a case contesting partisan gerrymandering in Michigan, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision was a disappointment that likely will vacate the judgment in their favor. Legal observers say the issue now will be fought in statehouses across the country.
Law schools tweaking, innovating admissions process as numbers rise
Ever since the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law began accepting GRE scores in lieu of the LSAT in 2016, the list of law schools that consider applicants who submit only Graduate Record Exam results is growing. So are the other innovative ways law schools in Indiana and elsewhere are measuring the likely success of potential students.
Ex-East Chicago health offical’s suit over firing proceeds in part
A former East Chicago city employee who has alleged her constitutional rights were violated when she was fired from the city Health Department in 2015 has secured a partial victory from the Northern Indiana District Court, which also ruled partially in favor of city officials.
Appellate court reverses TPR for speculative incarceration
A Vigo County father’s parental rights must be restored, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled, finding evidence that he might be incarcerated for several years insufficient to support a termination order.