Scott Circuit judge to resume his duties
The Scott Circuit judge will return to the bench after his monthlong stretch of temporarily being unable to perform his duties.
Courts
Articles
Ex-Gary city employee convicted in scheme to resell electronics
A former government employee in northwestern Indiana has been convicted in a scheme to use funds from the City of Gary to buy more than 1,000 pieces of computer equipment that she then resold.
South Bend attorney wanted for mail fraud arrested in Florida
An Indiana attorney wanted on several charges of mail fraud against elderly victims he allegedly exploited as part of an investment scheme has been arrested after federal authorities found him in Florida, according to the FBI.
Rush addresses needs of court ‘customers’ in State of the Judiciary
With applause amplified from all corners of the Indiana General Assembly’s House Chamber, the leader of the Indiana Supreme Court declared that the state judiciary is “sound, steady and strong” in 2019.
Women judges make history in Marion Superior Court
For the first time, four women judges have been elected to serve on the executive committee of the Marion Superior Court. The committee is responsible for operation and conduct of the Indianapolis courts and serves as the policymaking body for them.
U.S. Supreme Court again relists Indiana’s abortion petition
For the third time, the Supreme Court of the United States has distributed Indiana’s controversial abortion law for conference. The justices are now scheduled to review Indiana’s petition for writ of certiorari Friday.
Rush, Goff publish dissent on poverty as probation violation
A split Indiana Supreme Court denied a petition to transfer a homeless man’s probation violation appeal, with two justices writing in a published dissent that the litigant was an indigent man incarcerated for probation violations that resulted from his poverty, not his intentions.
Ex-New Haven City Court judge agrees to lifetime judicial ban
A northern Indiana city court judge who resigned at the end of the year after several judicial misconduct charges were filed against him has agreed to never again serve as a judge, the Indiana Supreme Court announced.
Federal courts’ cost-cutting extends funding another week
With the partial shutdown of the federal government the longest in history, the federal judiciary announced its cost-cutting measures have given it enough funding to remain in session at least until Jan. 25.
Justices agree to again hear long-running IBM dispute
A years-long legal battle between the state of Indiana and IBM Corporation over a failed welfare benefits processing upgrade will continue now that the Indiana Supreme Court has again granted transfer to the long-running dispute.
COA affirms search of locked home safe in meth case
A man who came home as police were executing a search warrant lost his bid to suppress evidence of meth dealing that came from a safe in his Brown County house after he provided officers the combination.
Justices hear murder, jurisdiction arguments
Indiana Supreme Court Justices heard oral argument in two cases Thursday, beginning with a man who argued there was insufficient evidence to sustain his triple-murder conviction and that certain evidence was improperly admitted.
State, community group urge SCOTUS to reject Lake Michigan access case
The state of Indiana and a community group favoring public access to the shore of Lake Michigan have filed briefs urging the Supreme Court of the United States to reject an appeal that could partly privatize the state’s 45 miles of Great Lakes beaches. Briefs filed Friday urge the high court to affirm the Indiana Supreme Court ruling that found the public has a right to walk along the shore of Lake Michigan from the water’s edge to the ordinary high water mark.
Woman settles lawsuit over jailing due to mistaken identity
A northwest Indiana woman who alleged she was wrongfully held in the Valparaiso jail for nearly two months in a case of mistaken identity has reached a $6,000 settlement in the case.
Tax Court : Assessor’s petition not untimely, non-compliant
The Indiana Tax Court has denied an Indianapolis business and arts center’s motion to dismiss an assessor’s appeal, finding the assessor’s summons was not untimely or non-compliant.
Majority justices remand drug sentence to determine treatment eligibility
A woman who has yet to receive court-ordered substance abuse treatment may soon receive it after the Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer to her case.
Indy attorney who told court ‘someone is going to die’ suspended
An Indianapolis attorney charged with intimidation against a Marion County court and other offenses has been suspended from the practice of law after the Indiana Supreme Court granted a petition for his emergency suspension.
COA reverses commitment order, doesn’t address judge’s missing signature
An Indiana appellate panel has reversed a man’s involuntary civil commitment on the grounds of insufficient evidence, though the judges sidestepped the issue of whether the commitment order was valid considering it was signed by a commissioner, not a judge.
Magistrate Judge Cherry retires with legacy of being ‘consummate professional’
Northern Indiana District Court Magistrate Judge Paul Cherry has retired, ending a career that included six years as DeKalb County prosecutor and 15-plus years on the federal bench. Cherry, who began his tenure as magistrate judge on Oct. 1, 2003, retired Dec. 31, 2018.
Decatur lawyer sentenced to jail for forgery, counterfeiting
A suspended northern Indiana lawyer was sentenced Friday to nearly nine months in jail for forging a judge’s signature on a phony divorce order and sending a client a bogus email that she represented as coming from a deputy prosecutor. Jill Holtzclaw of Decatur was sentenced to serve 270 days behind bars followed by a year of probation for her convictions of Level 6 felony counts of forgery and counterfeiting.