Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has won a victory in the continued fallout of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, successfully moving a federal judge to dismiss him as a defendant in a civil lawsuit brought against him and the Indiana Legislature. Also, the state lawmaker who helped initiate the complaint has been dismissed as a plaintiff.
Limited in-person criminal proceedings can resume in all divisions of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana beginning next week, the district court announced Friday.
Additional individuals will now be allowed to enter federal courthouses under specific circumstances, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has announced.
No in-person proceedings will take place at the Southern District Court until June 15, except under emergency circumstances, the district court announced in a Tuesday order. That date, however, is subject to change depending on the state of the COVID-19 pandemic in each of the district court’s four divisions, the order says.
Statewide political leaders, including Republican leaders, are withdrawing support of embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, who next week begins a 30-day suspension for two ethics violations. But Hill so far has not indicated plans to step down from his role or leave the 2020 campaign trail once the suspension is over, even though his competition may be growing.
The new clerk has officially taken office in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Roger A.G. Sharpe was sworn in last week, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of former longtime clerk Laura Briggs.
Like the rest of the world, the judiciary has been walking a tightrope for the last six weeks, trying to keep courts open while protecting judges, staff, lawyers, litigants and the public from COVID-19 exposure.
In noting the state did not provide any evidence to support its arguments, the Southern Indiana District Court restored an inmate’s earned credit time which he had lost for refusing to participate in a sex offender program.
The federal litigation stemming from the sexual misconduct allegations against Attorney General Curtis Hill has been revived, this time with the plaintiffs suing the Indiana Legislature rather than the state. Hill’s accusers are also indicating that they plan to appeal the dismissal of several federal claims.
A new Indiana law that effectively bans panhandling in downtown areas effective July 1 is being challenged in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, which claims that in addition to panhandlers, it and other organizations whose members personally collect donations would be broadly banned from doing so under the new law.
Federal courts that have been forced to close courthouses to the public because of the novel coronavirus pandemic have been authorized to use technology to provide the public and press with continued access to court proceedings.
A dispute over a medical device maker’s distribution contracts in Southern California was properly stayed in an Indiana federal court after parallel claims were brought here, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday.
The four women who have accused Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill of sexual misconduct are considering their next steps after the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana dismissed their sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation claims against Hill and the state.
A federal judge in Indiana has granted a Louisiana man’s motion to stay his execution pending resolution of his habeas action, finding the man made a strong showing that he is intellectually disabled and as a result, the Federal Death Penalty Act forbids his execution.
Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson of the Southern Indiana District Court dismissed the lawsuit March 2 brought by three legislative employees and a state representative who claim they were sexually harassed by Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, then retaliated against when their allegations were made public. But the women are indicating they are prepared to continue their legal battle.
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by four women who say Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill groped them during a legislative party in 2018. Indiana Southern District Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson said in part that because the women didn’t work for Hill, they can’t sue the state of Indiana under federal laws meant to prevent workplace discrimination and retaliation.
Monetary sanctions potentially exceeding $100,000 and default judgment have been entered against state defendants and their attorney in a prisoner case that the presiding federal judge said “shattered” her trust in the defendants’ litigation practices.
The US District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has found a successor to its long-serving clerk, turning to a longtime servant of the court who currently works as its death penalty law clerk. Roger A.G. Sharpe will succeed retiring clerk Laura Briggs effective May 10, Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson said in a press release.
A federal lawsuit alleging Brownsburg schools discriminated against a former teacher who refused to address transgender students by their chosen first names will continue with claims brought under Title VII, though 11 other state and federal constitutional claims against the school district were dismissed. The judge also cautioned both sides against efforts to expand the issues in the case to nonparty students.
A man who pleaded guilty to sexual exploitation of a child and possession of child pornography has been sentenced to 200 years in federal prison, the federal prosecutor’s office for the Southern District of Indiana announced.