Indiana responds to convicted ex-officer’s appeal
Indiana has responded to a former Indianapolis police officer's appeal of his convictions in a fatal drunken driving crash.
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Court hearing set for Gary man linked to 7 deaths
A Gary man who police say confessed to killing one woman, helped investigators find six other bodies and indicated there may be more is scheduled to make his first court appearance.
Judge must face federal lawsuit over drug court detentions
Clark Circuit Judge Jerome Jacobi must face a federal lawsuit from drug court participants who allege they were improperly detained or unlawfully arrested as participants in the problem-solving court he oversaw.
Split COA reverses denial of post-conviction relief
A defense attorney’s failure to raise the consecutive sentencing limitation prejudiced his client, the majority of a Court of Appeals panel ruled, reversing denial of post-conviction relief for a man convicted of multiple burglaries. The court remanded for resentencing to trim six years off a 28-year prison term.
Court of Appeals to hear arguments at IU Maurer
Indiana University Maurer School of Law will host an oral argument of the Indiana Court of Appeals Wednesday at the school’s moot court.
When municipal growth clashes with property owners, the result is annexation headaches
A 644-acre swath of rural Hancock County land is at the heart of a contentious annexation battle that illustrates what municipalities say is the need to get control of property before development happens. The case also brings to light what may be a shift in the judiciary’s attitude toward remonstrators.
Re-routing the school-to-prison pipeline
Tippecanoe County is just one of a handful of sites across the nation participating in a special initiative designed to constrict the flow of minors into the juvenile justice system and give them a second chance.
Pharmacist’s snooping is a prescription for trouble
Walgreen’s appeal of $1.8M judgment in favor of customer raises patient privacy issues.
Lawmakers in no rush to fix Marion County’s judicial selection process
Marion County’s unique power-sharing judicial-election system won’t be fixed anytime soon, even though a federal judge has ruled the four-decade-old system is unconstitutional.
Attorneys debate impact of reality crime TV shows on the judicial process
The reality television show “Cold Justice” linked Earl Taylor to the 1975 murder of his first wife, Kathy Taylor. Dennis Majewski, Earl Taylor's attorney, said the TV program carried by the TNT cable network, and a follow-up newspaper article that told viewers the episode was available on YouTube, led him to doubt he could find an untainted jury in Vigo County.
SCOTUS denial of cases opens door to new same-sex-couple issues
Now that same-sex marriage is legal in Indiana, the courts will have to settle issues and questions that will arise in other areas, such as family law.
Error in admitting drug conviction was harmless, 7th Circuit rules
Although a witness’s changed testimony did not open the door wide enough to allow the introduction of a defendant’s prior drug record, the prosecution’s case was still substantial without the improper evidence so the defendant’s federal conviction will stand.
Indiana justices to hear school bus fees appeal
The Indiana Supreme Court will decide whether a public school district may charge parents a fee to transport children to and from school.
Elkhart teens, amici seek appeal of murder convictions
The felony murder convictions of two Elkhart County teens that splintered the Court of Appeals should be heard by the Indiana Supreme Court, the defendants and amicus filers say.
State appeals ruling invalidating Marion County judicial election law
The state is appealing a federal judge’s ruling this month declaring Marion County’s Superior judicial election statute unconstitutional.
Judge pushes for full-time public defender office
A southern Indiana judge says his county needs a full-time public defender office to ensure those who can't afford attorneys receive strong legal representation.
Justices will decide privacy case on hotel records
The Supreme Court of the United States agreed Monday to referee a dispute over police access to hotels' guest information without first getting a search warrant.
Brother of former NFL player enters plea agreement
The brother of a former NFL player has agreed under a deal with federal prosecutors to plead guilty to two counts of a 44-count indictment against him and receive a 14-year prison sentence.
Marion County justice center deal tests transparency laws
Three teams competing to partner with Indianapolis on a half-billion-dollar criminal justice complex shaped the city’s specifications in closed-door meetings.