Articles

First impression on residential entry issue

Since a man who had permission to be in his ex-girlfriend's garage did not have permission to be in her house, he committed residential entry as a Class D felony when he kicked in her locked kitchen door to use the phone.

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COA: Firefighter’s e-mail didn’t harm department

A firefighter shouldn't have been fired for his e-mail commenting on the financial situation of the township's fire department because the e-mail didn't impact the effectiveness of the department, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled today.

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Indicted judge to be suspended

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed a notice with the Indiana Supreme Court for a request of suspension of LaPorte Superior Judge Jennifer Koethe, who was indicted Thursday for attempted obstruction of justice stemming from a shooting incident at her home in December.

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Appeals court expansion bill stays alive

Legislation that would create a new sixth panel for the Indiana Court of Appeals is moving through the legislative committee cycle, even though lawmakers doubt it will pass this session. The Senate Judiciary Committee met this morning and discussed Senate Bill 35, which proposes an additional appellate judge panel for the first time since 1991. […]

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Town court judge publicly admonished

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications issued a public admonition of the Walkerton Town Court judge today for employing his wife as court clerk for more than 10 years and for participating in an ex parte conversation with a defendant about her traffic infractions.

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COA: ‘Serious deficiency’ in treating mentally ill

A panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals used an opinion today to highlight what it considered a “serious deficiency” in the statutes for the treatment of developmentally disabled and mentally ill people in the state’s criminal courts. “Simply said, the Indiana statutory framework allows courts to recognize the mental illness of a criminal defendant only in terms of guilt for the crime alleged, rather than as a condition that prevents the defendant’s ability to form a punishable intention to…

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Court rules on upward sentence revision

The Indiana Supreme Court held today that appellate courts have the authority to increase a sentence on appeal, but the state can't initiate or cross-appeal review of the sentence and can't ask for a greater sentence if the defendant doesn't initiate an appeal.

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Trial court erred in denying motion to continue

A Marion Superior trial court should have granted a woman's motion to continue the day of her bench trial because she had a constitutional right to present a defense to support her involuntary intoxication argument, the Indiana Court of Appeals decided today.

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Court upholds out-of-state juvenile placement

The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the placement of a juvenile delinquent in an out-of-state shelter care facility over the objection of the Indiana Department of Child Services, finding the trial court complied with statutes that allow it to place the juvenile in a non-Indiana facility. A recent change to one of those statutes now shifts the burden of payment to out-of-state facilities from DCS to the counties.

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COA travels north to hear arguments

The Indiana Court of Appeals travels to Marion and South Bend this week to hear arguments in an appeal of voluntary manslaughter and criminal recklessness convictions, and a case involving a conviction of child solicitation.

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Fate of courtroom cameras still unknown

The federal judge vying to become the next justice on the U.S. Supreme Court favors having cameras in court and says she might be interested in furthering their use at the nation's highest court that has resisted the idea for decades.

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Former public defender sentenced

A former Marion County public defender arrested during an undercover child sex sting was sentenced Wednesday for child solicitation, a Class C felony.

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