Articles

Trump administration wants delay in census lawsuit trial

The Trump administration wants the Supreme Court to postpone a trial over the decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The request submitted to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Monday says a federal judge in New York should not move forward with a Nov. 5 trial exploring whether Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross improperly decided the census should ask about citizenship for the first time since 1950.

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Mail bomb suspect makes first court appearance

Federal prosecutors want no bail for a man accused of sending pipe bombs to prominent Democrats around the country. Prosecutors said at the initial court hearing Monday for 56-year-old Cesar Sayoc that they believe he is a risk of flight and a danger to the community.

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Indiana lawmakers move forward on legal sports gambling

Indiana could join several states in legalizing sports betting following a committee’s unanimous recommendation that lawmakers consider the change. The Interim Study Committee on Public Policy voted this month to recommend legislation to bring legal sports betting to Indiana.

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Suit against Hill could cost taxpayers; accusers to name state

The Indiana Attorney General’s Office is now in the process of investigating a complaint filed against it, the state and Attorney General Curtis Hill after four women who publicly accused Hill of groping them at a party filed official notice of a civil lawsuit. If the women succeed on their claims against state defendants, taxpayers could be on the hook to pay any judgments.

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No criminal charges, but AG Hill faces suits from accusers

After the special prosecutor announced his decision Tuesday not to bring charges against Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, the four women who have accused the state’s top lawyer of sexual misconduct stepped into the public spotlight together and said they are not done fighting.

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Report: AG Hill’s behavior ‘creepy’ but not criminal

A 25-page report released by the Indiana Office of the Inspector General on Tuesday shines a light on the fallout from groping allegations against Attorney General Curtis Hill, including new allegations that he inappropriately touched four lobbyists in addition to the four women who previously accused him.

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Manafort to be sentenced in February; appears in wheelchair

A judge has set a February sentencing date for Paul Manafort, who appeared in court Friday for a post-trial hearing in a wheelchair and green jail jumpsuit. The hearing in federal court in Alexandria was largely procedural but provided the first glimpse of the former Trump campaign chairman since he began cooperating with prosecutors in special counsel Robert Mueller’s office.

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Russian woman charged in first 2018 election meddling case

The U.S. accused a Russian woman on Friday of helping oversee the finances of a sweeping, secretive effort to sway American public opinion through social media in the first federal case alleging foreign interference in the 2018 midterm elections. The criminal complaint against Elena Alekseevna Khusyaynova alleges Russians are using some of the same techniques to influence U.S. politics as they relied on ahead of the 2016 presidential election.

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Anthem to pay record settlement after 2015 data breach

The nation's second-largest health insurer has agreed to pay the government a record $16 million to settle potential privacy violations in the biggest known health care hack in U.S. history, officials said Monday. The personal information of nearly 79 million people was exposed in the cyberattack, discovered by Anthem Inc. in 2015.

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Indiana child welfare agency to spend $22M on raises

The Indiana Department of Child Services is spending $22 million on raises for staff as part of an effort to improve the agency that’s seen rising caseloads and internal battles. The raises will take effect Wednesday for more than 3,600 employees, or about 87 percent of the agency’s staff.

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Judges, lawyers bemoan political nature of Kavanaugh hearings

Ask any constitutional scholar whether the process of confirming Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court played out as was constitutionally intended, and the answer will likely be “no.” Federal judges and practicing lawyers agree: regardless of your politics, the animosity that exploded in the Senate over the last month was not what the Framers had in mind.

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Lake County paying $185K to settle sexual harassment lawsuit

Lake County has agreed to pay $185,000 to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the northwestern Indiana county’s recorder. Taxpayers will finance the payment to Estela Montalvo,  the former part-time recorder’s office employee who sued recorder Michael B. Brown and the county in federal court last year, alleging sexual harassment.

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Hanlon confirmed to Southern Indiana District Court

James Patrick “J.P.” Hanlon was confirmed to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana by the U.S. Senate Thursday evening in a voice vote. The partner at Faegre Baker Daniels was nominated by President Donald Trump and will fill the vacancy created when Judge William Lawrence took senior status in July.

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Ex-Indiana town marshal put on house arrest ahead of trial

A judge has placed a former Indiana town marshal on house arrest ahead of his trial on charges that he allegedly took medication from a home while in uniform. This week’s update came after Donald R. Bosley admitted to leaving the state and consuming controlled substances without a prescription.

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