Court upholds law aimed at domestic violence on tribal land
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday upheld a federal law and its stiff prison terms aimed at people who have been convicted of repeated acts of domestic violence on Indian lands.
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High court rules against Puerto Rico in debt case
Puerto Rico can't use a local law to restructure the debt of its financially ailing public utilities as it tries to overcome a decade-long economic crisis, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday.
Slaughter sworn in as 109th justice
Geoffrey G. Slaughter was sworn in as an Indiana Supreme Court justice Monday morning in a brief, private ceremony, court spokeswoman Kathryn Dolan said. Chief Justice Loretta H. Rush administered the oath of office, allowing Slaughter, formerly a partner with Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP, to begin deciding cases and handling administrative matters with his colleagues.
7th Circuit affirms government employees must resign after elected to office
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an Indiana law that prevents people employed by the government to also hold elected office in the same municipality they are employed in. The law was challenged by a host of individuals who both serve on city and town councils and work for the same town as police officers, office managers and firefighters.
Local Uber driver sues company over compensation issues
An Uber driver from Marion County has filed a class-action complaint against the ride-on-demand company, claiming that Uber treats its drivers like employees but classifies them as independent contractors in order to skirt labor laws.
Senate committee to vote on Ong nomination
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to vote June 16 on the nomination of Winfield Ong to be U.S. District judge for the Southern District of Indiana.
COA majority finds double jeopardy violations on rehearing
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled on rehearing that a man’s two convictions for resisting law enforcement violated Indiana’s double jeopardy prohibition and remanded the case to trial court to vacate one of them.
Court affirms bank entitled to foreclose on mortgage
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the foreclosure on a man’s mortgage after it found a mistake in making the deed for the property did not mean the man did not own it at the time of a modification agreement.
Hospitals that mess up are urged to confess
A new approach promoted by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is explicitly aimed at saving hospitals money on malpractice litigation while encouraging more robust scrutiny of what went wrong.
7th Circuit upholds Fogle’s above-guidelines sentence
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed former Subway pitchman Jared Fogle’s 188-month sentence Thursday afternoon for distributing and receiving, as well as conspiring to distribute and receive child pornography. Fogle challenged his sentence after the District Court imposed one above the sentencing guidelines.
SCOTUS says judges can recall discharged juries
The Supreme Court of the United States said Thursday that judges may — in rare circumstances — call a jury back to the courtroom after it has delivered a verdict and been dismissed.
Marijuana legalization group sues after Lafayette rally denial
A group advocating for the legalization of marijuana that was denied permission to rally on the grounds of the Tippecanoe County Courthouse in Lafayette has filed a federal lawsuit claiming a violation of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
Supreme Court rules judges can recall discharged juries
The Supreme Court of the United States says judges may — in rare circumstances — call a jury back to the courtroom after it's delivered a verdict and been dismissed.
Justices find judicial bias in Pennsylvania death row case
The Supreme Court of the United States ruled Thursday that the former chief justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court was wrong to participate in the case of a death row inmate whose prosecution he personally approved nearly 30 years earlier.
Sandwich chain Jimmy John’s sued over noncompete agreements
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan is suing the Jimmy John's sandwich chain accusing it of improperly forcing low-level employees to sign agreements preventing them from seeking jobs with competitors.
Lawsuit settled in police search that left girl traumatized
Two central Indiana communities have settled a federal lawsuit that alleged police violated the constitutional rights of a girl with autism during a search for a missing woman's body.
Mentally ill women should have attorney, 7th Circuit rules
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled a mentally ill woman who filed a federal lawsuit challenging her conviction and sentence for murder should have had a lawyer appointed to her and remanded the case to District Court.
COA: Juvenile court has no jurisdiction to modify custody agreement
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled a juvenile court does not have jurisdiction to modify a paternity court’s custody order and sent the case back to the lower court.
COA majority: Mayor has power to terminate utility superintendent
The Indiana Court of Appeals reversed summary judgment in a split decision Wednesday for former city of Lawrence Utilities Board Superintendent Carlton Curry, finding the newly elected mayor had authority to terminate Curry’s employment and therefore Curry can't prevail on a wrongful discharge claim.
Lawsuit: Ellen DeGeneres mocked woman’s name for breast joke
A Georgia real estate agent is suing the producer of the "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," claiming the comedian mispronounced her name to make a joke about breasts.