Articles

COA slams courts, DCS for violating parents’ due process

The Indiana Court of Appeals reiterated harsh words at the Department of Child Services and Indiana trial courts after reversing another case involving a failure to afford due process protections to families in termination of parental rights cases.

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Smartphone privacy ruling tests how technology affects rights

A consequential Indiana Court of Appeals ruling on an issue of first impression last month marked one of the first times state courts have been asked to reconcile civil rights with advancing technology. The question: considering the personal nature of the contents of a person’s smartphone, can an individual be forced to unlock a smartphone without violating the Fifth Amendment?

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IndyCar awarded $3.9M for scrubbed Boston races

A race organizer’s failure to bring promised IndyCar Boston Grand Prix Labor Day weekend races to the finish line has resulted in an award of nearly $4 million in damages to the Indianapolis-based open-wheel racing series, but it’s unclear how much IndyCar may be able to recoup from bankrupt promoters.

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Hill enduring backlash in voting lawsuits

Even as the office of embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is pleading for more time to challenge a ruling that found changes to the state's voter registration statute violated federal law, it's taking another election dispute to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Judge lets Marion County inmate suicide suit proceed

A lawsuit claiming the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and one of its deputies violated an inmate’s constitutional rights by leaving him unattended long enough for the inmate to kill himself will continue after a district court judge declined to fully grant summary judgment to the county.

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Judge pro tempore appointed in Terre Haute City Court

Attorney Kim Antcliff Jackson of Cory, Indiana, took office Monday as Terre Haute City Court Judge pro tempore, replacing retiring Judge Chris A. Wrede. Jackson’s appointment was announced in an Indiana Supreme Court order issued Thursday.  
 

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Judge: IPS leader may be named in firing suits in student sex case

A federal judge has ruled that Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Lewis Ferebee and other high-ranking IPS officials may be named as defendants in lawsuits by two former school employees. The employees claim they were wrongly fired after IPS botched a response to reports of a sexual relationship between a student and a school counselor.

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Justices to suspended attorney: Pay fine or face prison

The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered a Kokomo attorney who is already suspended to pay a fine or face a 15-day prison sentence after he was found in contempt for practicing law while suspended. The court said the lawyer twice contacted opposing counsel who responded by noting his suspension.

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Judge pro tem appointed in Lake County; Tavitas to join COA

Senior judge Thomas W. Webber Sr., will serve as judge pro tem in Lake Superior Court, Civil Division 3, replacing Judge Elizabeth Tavitas upon her appointment to the Indiana Court of Appeals. Tavitas is scheduled to be sworn in on the appellate bench next week.

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Judge blocks release of 3D-printed gun plans

A federal judge in Seattle on Tuesday issued a temporary restraining order to stop the release of blueprints to make untraceable and undetectable 3D-printed plastic guns. Eight Democratic attorneys general sued Monday to block a settlement with the government that would have allowed blueprints to be published online.

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Insanity defense allowed for man in trooper shooting

A Clark County judge will allow a southern Indiana man to use an insanity defense when he goes on trial for shooting a state trooper in the head during a traffic stop. The defendant showed early signs of dementia, a mental health provider said.

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Court asked to deny Hill’s request to stop investigation

The Marion County Prosecutor’s office pushed back today against Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill’s attempt to squash the appointment of a special prosecutor, saying his motion had “fatal flaws” and he was making a “dubious proposition.”

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