Indiana Court Decisions: Oct. 19-Nov. 1, 2023
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7th Circuit Court of Appeals
Articles
No error in sentencing enhancement for man with prior conviction, 7th Circuit affirms
A district court did not plainly err in applying a sentencing enhancement to a man who pleaded guilty to distributing drugs, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled.
‘It’s 2023, for heaven’s sake’: 7th Circuit orders district court to consider reasonableness of wheelchair-accessible ramp at Shelbyville Post Office
A woman in a wheelchair fighting for a ramp at her local post office will be able to make her argument in court after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated summary judgment for the United States Postal Service, which so far has refused to build the ramp.
Indiana Court Decisions: Oct. 5-18, 2023
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On remand, federal judge denies habeas relief for man convicted of killing IU student Behrman
After previously overturning the conviction of the man convicted of murdering Indiana University student Jill Behrman, the Indiana Southern District Court on remand has declined to grant habeas relief to John Myers a second time.
Elder online dating fraud convictions upheld at 7th Circuit
There was sufficient evidence to convict a man for his role in a scheme to defraud people over 50 out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in an online dating scheme, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Wednesday.
Texts introduced as evidence in drug conspiracy case were harmless, 7th Circuit rules
The admission of a screenshot of a defendant’s texts with a contact during his trial on a drug-related conspiracy charge was harmless and only one piece of an “overwhelming” amount of evidence supporting his conviction, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.
IN Northern District posts opening to fill potential Kolar magistrate vacancy
With Indiana Northern District Magistrate Judge Joshua Kolar awaiting a confirmation vote from the U.S. Senate to fill a vacancy on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, the district court is preparing to fill the anticipated magistrate judge vacancy.
7th Circuit vacates denial of habeas petition, orders evidentiary hearing
Overturning the district court and disagreeing with a state appellate court’s analysis, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated the denial of habeas relief to a man convicted on drug charges, ordering an evidentiary hearing on his habeas petition.
Actor Elliot Page files amicus brief against Indiana law banning gender-transition care for minors
The appeal involving Indiana’s law banning gender-transition procedures for minors is continuing to attract attention from amici, including from an Oscar-nominated actor.
Kolar’s 7th Circuit nomination pushes forward in U.S. Senate after approval by Judiciary Committee
The path for U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Indiana Magistrate Judge Joshua Kolar to fill a vacancy on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals now comes down to just one vote after the Senate Judiciary Committee endorsed his nomination Thursday.
Indiana Court Decisions: Sept. 7-20, 2023
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Split IN Supreme Court rules state law limits corporate contributions to super PACs
Indiana election law’s silence on corporate contributions to independent-expenditure political action committees means such contributions are prohibited or otherwise limited, a split Indiana Supreme Court has ruled.
Distributor made ‘commercially reasonable’ efforts to sell products, 7th Circuit affirms
A group of medical device firm shareholders failed to show that a distributor didn’t make a reasonable effort to sell their products, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed Thursday.
Indiana Court Decisions: Aug. 24-Sept. 6, 2023
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IN Northern District, 7th Circuit still waiting for vacancies to be filled: Magnus-Stinson announcement means IN Southern District will also soon have an opening
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson has announced she will be assuming senior status in July 2024. That means the Biden administration will need to fill another federal judicial vacancy in Indiana.
Mistaken legal advice doesn’t rise to level of ‘extraordinary circumstance,’ 7th Circuit rules in affirming district court dismissal of habeas petition
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals recognized that a man sentenced to a term of 72 years in prison was given erroneous legal advice to postpone the filing of his petition for a writ of habeas corpus, but affirmed a district court’s ruling to dismiss the petition.
District court committed no reversible error in sentencing drug trafficker to 25 years in prison, 7th Circuit affirms
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s 25-year prison sentence for a Kokomo man convicted of drug trafficking, rejecting the man’s claims that the court relied on hearsay and erred in applying an obstruction-of-justice enhancement.
7th Circuit vacates robbery sentence
A bank robbery sentence that “far exceeds” the statutory minimum must be revisited, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in vacating the sentence.
Kolar fields 1st questions from Senate Judiciary Committee as 7th Circuit nominee
The nominee to fill an Indiana vacancy on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals faced some challenging questions on Capitol Hill on Wednesday as he took a first step toward possible confirmation by the full U.S. Senate.