State appeals ruling against right-to-work law
Attorney General Greg Zoeller announced Wednesday the state has asked the Indiana Supreme Court to reverse a Lake County judge’s order invalidating the right-to-work law that bans compulsory union dues.
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Cybersecurity expert: ruling on surveillance program ‘extraordinarily significant’
Indiana University Maurer School of Law professor Fred Cate heralded the decision handed down Dec. 16 by U.S. District Judge Richard J. Leon as possibly landing a crippling blow to the federal government’s surveillance program.
COA: County officials not bound to collective bargaining agreement
An issue of first impression arose in a lawsuit in which a local union argued that the Madison County assessor and recorder had to follow the terms of a collective bargaining agreement that the county had entered into with UAW.
State not allowed to intervene in Weinberger case
Finding the law does not allow the state to become a party to otherwise private litigation at any stage of the proceedings, the Indiana Court of Appeals reversed its prior order granting the state’s motion to intervene in a settlement reached between former doctor Mark Weinberger and the estate of a patient.
Indianapolis attorney tapped to lead BMV
Ice Miller LLP attorney Donald M. Snemis has been named as the commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. He will begin his tenure Jan. 6.
George Rubin’s 54 years in law built firm and shaped modern Indianapolis
Indianapolis was America’s 26th biggest city when George Rubin began his legal career 54 years ago. It’s fair to say Rubin drafted the blueprint that transformed the city into the nation’s 12th largest.
Criminal code overhaul shifts focus to sentencing
The exploding prison population was a key motivator for revising the state’s criminal code, but an independent research group has concluded the new statute will cause a quicker increase in the number of inmates.
Support strong for treatment instead of incarceration in the DOC
David Powell, executive director of the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council, strongly believes that addressing drug dependency and mental health issues can reduce the state’s recidivism rate and, in turn, lower the crime rate.
Indiana disability rights group files complaint against Amtrak
The Indiana Protection and Advocacy Services Commission has filed a disability discrimination complaint against Amtrak for non-compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
21st Amendment chain blocked from federal cold-beer suit
A magistrate judge has blocked a retail liquor store chain’s bid to join a federal lawsuit filed by convenience stores challenging an Indiana law that forbids them from selling cold beer.
Independent analysis finds DOC’s population will grow under new criminal code
A report released Dec. 10 predicts that Indiana’s new criminal code will increase the number of individuals incarcerated in state prisons to the point where a new facility may have to be built.
Marion County announces plan to build new criminal justice complex
Under a plan announced by city and court officials Wednesday, Marion County’s courts, jails and other offices would be located in one complex instead of spread out around downtown Indianapolis and the county.
New commission on children executive committee includes justice, DCS head
The Commission on Improving the Status of Children, created during the 2013 legislative session, announced its executive committee Tuesday. The committee includes Indiana Justice Loretta Rush, who also serves as commission chair.
Property tax assessment prevents township from controlling cemetery
Because a couple had paid taxes on the land where a cemetery existed since 1967, the township did not have authority under Indiana law to exercise control over that cemetery, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Monday.
24 more school corps join IRS lawsuit on employer mandate
Twenty-four additional school corporations have joined the lawsuit filed in October by the state of Indiana and 15 school corporations against the Internal Revenue Service challenging the tax penalties that could be imposed in 2015 under the “employer mandate” of the Affordable Care Act.
Indiana among states wanting SCOTUS to clear the air on pollution standard
A coalition of 14 states, including Indiana, are headed to the Supreme Court of the United States Dec. 10 to argue that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has overstepped its authority, again, in trying to regulate air pollution in upwind states.
Indiana appeals $62.8 million tobacco settlement reduction
The state is appealing an arbitration panel ruling from September that reduced by $62.8 million the amount due from tobacco companies to offset Indiana’s health costs associated with treating sick smokers and tobacco users.
Notre Dame refiles suit against Obamacare ‘contraception mandate’
The University of Notre Dame has refiled a federal lawsuit seeking to block enforcement of the so-called contraception mandate included in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Denial of SSI reversed for failure to consider mental health
A woman who claimed disability in part because of her diminished mental health will get another chance to present her case after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the administrative law judge did not properly consider the opinions and testimony regarding the woman’s mental condition.
Schools get $14 million settlement in ISTA, NEA securities suit
Four-year-old litigation over $27 million lost by at least 27 Indiana public school systems that invested in a troubled teachers union-sponsored health insurance plan has concluded with a settlement in which schools will receive about $14 million.