Kirsch confirmed to 7th Circuit
Thomas Kirsch II has been confirmed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on a 51-44 vote in the U.S. Senate. Kirsch succeeds Amy Coney Barrett after her confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.
7th Circuit Court of Appeals
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Men convicted in 70s-themed armed robberies lose resentencing appeal
Two men who committed a string of armed robberies in 2015 while donning 1970s-themed disguises could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that their new sentences should be reversed.
7th Circuit vacates judgment, dismisses HOA debt dispute
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has tossed a dispute over unpaid homeowners’ association fees, finding that a letter sent to a couple who owed thousands to their HOA did not cause them any concrete harm.
Senate prepares to vote on Kirsch nomination to 7th Circuit
Thomas Kirsch, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, will likely get one step closer to joining the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals today with the U.S. Senate scheduled to vote on the cloture motion for his nomination at 5:30 p.m.
Mothers in birth certificate case win at US Supreme Court
In an order issued Monday, the United States Supreme Court denied certiorari in an Indiana birth certificate case, ending the state’s long-running fight to prevent non-birth mothers in same-sex marriages from being listed as a parent on their children’s birth certificates.
US executes Louisiana truck driver who killed daughter, 2
The Trump administration continued its series of post-election federal executions Friday by putting to death a Louisiana truck driver who severely abused his 2-year-old daughter for weeks in 2002, then killed her by slamming her head repeatedly against a truck’s windows and dashboard.
After 7th Circuit, SCOTUS rulings, US carries out rare presidential transition execution
The Trump administration Thursday carried out its ninth federal execution of the year in what has been a first series of executions during a presidential lame-duck period in 130 years. A Texas street-gang member was put to death at at the US Penitentiary in Terre Haute for the slayings of a religious couple from Iowa more than two decades ago.
Kirsch nomination to succeed Barrett on 7th Circuit moves to full Senate
The nomination of Hoosier Thomas Kirsch II to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals was approved Thursday by the Judiciary Committee and will be sent to the U.S. Senate for a confirmation vote.
Inmate scheduled for Thursday execution asks 7th Circuit for a stay
With mere hours left before his scheduled execution, Brandon Bernard is awaiting a decision from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that could delay his death by lethal injection.
Judging future jurists: Kirsch grilled in 7th Circuit bid while diversity calls grow and Flaum takes senior status
With two vacancies now on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, President Donald Trump’s nominee for an Indiana seat faced tough questioning on Capitol Hill while bar and civil rights groups called for change on the Chicago-based court, the only all-white federal appeals bench in the nation.
Senate Committee holds Kirsch’s nomination to succeed Barrett
The Senate Judiciary Committee held consideration of Thomas Kirsch’s nomination until its Dec. 10 meeting, putting the U.S. Attorney for the Northern Indiana District’s confirmation to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in a tight race against the clock.
Federal courts invite families to celebrate Bill of Rights through virtual event
As courts nationwide are celebrating the anniversary of the ratification of the Constitution’s first 10 Amendments during the month of December, families are invited to join in during a Wednesday evening event.
Full 7th Circuit rejects federal execution appeal over mental capacity
In a 7-2 decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday rejected a federal death row inmate’s request for an en banc rehearing after a panel of the court in October refused to stay his execution due to his claimed mental incapacity.
7th Circuit discusses supervised release appeals in child-porn case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday affirmed a man’s sentence after deciding to bring closure to a recurring issue faced in recent years regarding criminal defendants’ contentions about unconstitutionally vague conditions of supervised release.
7th Circuit gets another vacancy as Flaum takes senior status
Judge Joel Flaum of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals took senior status Monday, creating another vacancy on the appellate court that has welcomed four new judges and is preparing for a fifth since Donald Trump became president in 2017. Flaum has served on the federal appellate bench for 37 years.
Minority groups highlight need for diversity on all-white 7th Circuit
The lack of diversity on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals – which would remain unchanged if nominee Thomas Kirsch II is confirmed to fill the current vacancy – is prompting minority groups to speak out and call upon elected officials and the judiciary to appoint judges from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Investor loses appeal of ruling in favor of futures association
A derivatives investor whose longtime association with a trader soured before the trader was barred from dealing in commodity futures lost his appeal of a ruling in favor of the entity that regulates those traders.
7th Circuit again rules for buyer in long-running rubber-supply litigation
A dispute between a carbon buyer and seller has once again resolved in the buyer’s favor, with the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals finding the buyer was entitled to terminate a contract based on the seller’s breach.
Kirsch questioned about Chicago crime guns during confirmation hearing
During his allotted time to question Thomas Kirsch II about his potential confirmation to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, bypassed all inquiries about the judiciary and pressed the nominee on the flow of guns from Indiana to Chicago.
After criticism, Feinstein to step down as top Senate Judiciary Democrat
California Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Monday she will step down from her role as the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, giving up the powerful spot after public criticism of her bipartisan outreach and her handling of Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearings.