UPDATE: Committee tweaking St. Joe judges bill
A legislative conference committee is debating what changes might be possible for a bill aimed at scrapping merit selection for St. Joseph Superior judges.
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Casino wins compulsive gambling appeal
Casinos don't have a common law duty to protect compulsive gamblers from themselves, and aren't required to refrain from trying to entice those people into their establishments, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today in a matter of first impression.
District Court erred in drug sentence
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a man's sentence for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine because the District Court failed to figure out the quantity of the drug reasonably attributable to the defendant.
Some Lake civil cases go to random filing
Attorneys opening new civil cases in Lake County should note that a new random filing system is being put in place, a plan described as the most extensive use of this in the county's history.
7th Circuit warns attorneys about compliance
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals chastised the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Indiana’s Northern District to “get its act together” to comply strictly with a statute that imposes a mandatory life sentence for a defendant convicted of a drug offense with two prior drug convictions.
Court erred in ordering DCS to pay costs
The Indiana Department of Child Services isn't responsible for the costs of a minor's secure detention because it never entered into a written agreement with the juvenile court to cover the costs, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.
Professor testifies about recusal
A professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law in Bloomington was in Washington, D.C., Thursday to testify before the House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommitee on Courts and Competition.Professor and judicial ethics expert Charles G. Geyh told the committee that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Caperton v. A.T. Massey serves as a wake-up call to state and federal courts to begin taking judicial disqualifications more seriously. Geyh gave a general outlook on judicial disqualification, noting the challenges in having sitting…
Judges: Town ordinance invalid
The Indiana Court of Appeals declared today a Plainfield town ordinance authorizing the imposition of storm-water fees on properties outside of the town's corporate boundaries to be invalid because under Indiana Code, the town only has the authority to collect the fee within its corporate limits.
Finalists chosen in court mural competition
Four finalists have been named in a competition to design and execute new murals at the Birch Bayh Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Indianapolis.
COA rules on first impression lemon-law issue
The Indiana Court of Appeals tackled today an issue of first impression regarding the state's lemon law: Once a consumer has met the law's repair threshold, he can still file an action under the lemon law even if a subsequent repair fixes the problem.
Judges uphold mail fraud conviction
Although it noted the question was a "close one," the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined there was sufficient evidence to support a man's conviction of mail fraud in his scheme to defraud the government out of money for work he didn't complete.
Marion County presiding judge named
The state's largest county court system has new leadership for the next two years. Marion Superior Judge Robert Altice, a Republican, became presiding judge of the court system for a two-year term.
Court grants 5 transfers, denies 1
The Indiana Supreme Court has agreed to take five cases, but declined to hear a judicial review case involving a transfer tax.
Man wasn’t competent to sign contract
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed a neighbor of a mentally ill man shouldn't have been able to purchase the man's farm because the man was incompetent when he signed the sales contract.
Shutdown wouldn’t cripple legal system
As the clock ticked closer to a partial shutdown of state government, the Hoosier legal community received word this afternoon from the Indiana Supreme Court that trial courts should conduct business as usual and that the state's legal system would continue as much as possible if lawmakers fail to pass a budget by deadline.
Disciplinary Commission seeks agency head
Indiana needs a new face for lawyer discipline, and applications are being accepted from anyone interested in the job.
Former municipal judge, legal aid counsel dies
A former Marion Municipal Court judge and general counsel of the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society died Monday at the age of 93.
Mom’s mental ability not reason for termination
The Indiana Court of Appeals declined to write an opinion barring the state from pursuing termination of parental rights of a "retarded person," as requested by the mother in a termination of parental rights case.
COA to visit ISU for arguments
The Indiana Court of Appeals travels to Terre Haute Oct. 19 to hear arguments in an interlocutory appeal of a drug case in which the defendant claims the trial court abused its discretion in denying her motion to suppress.
Court rules on incurred risk in malpractice suit
The Indiana Supreme Court ruled today that, in general, incurred risk isn't a defense to medical malpractice based on negligence or lack of informed consent.