Indiana General Assembly - The Indiana Lawyer

Special prosecutor sought in attack after bus fatality sentence

January 13, 2020 | Associated Press

A special prosecutor should be appointed to determine whether a northern Indiana woman will be charged in an attack on a woman who had just been sentenced in a crash that killed her three children at a school bus stop, county prosecutors said. Fulton County prosecutors asked a judge in a filing Thursday to appoint a special prosecutor, saying they cannot be unbiased in deciding whether Brittany Ingle should be charged in the Dec. 18 attack on Alyssa Shepherd.

Indiana redistricting critics keeping up push for changes

January 13, 2020 | Associated Press

Critics of how Indiana politicians dice up the state for congressional and legislative districts know they are running out of time for changing that process with the once-a-decade U.S. census less than three months away.

Justices hear Holcomb v. Bloomington annexation appeal

January 10, 2020 | Katie Stancombe

Arguments were heard Thursday before the state’s highest court in an annexation dispute between the City of Bloomington and the Indiana Governor’s Office, with the city defending its award of summary judgment and Gov. Eric Holcomb’s office arguing for a reversal.

Rush to present 2020 State of the Judiciary Wednesday

January 10, 2020 | IL Staff

Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush next week will present the 2020 State of the Judiciary, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Friday.

Indiana may toughen retailer penalties with 21 smoking age

January 9, 2020 | Associated Press

Indiana lawmakers are looking to toughen the penalties stores face for selling tobacco products to underaged customers as they raise the state’s minimum age for smoking and vaping from 18 to 21 to conform with the new federal law.

Indiana governor changes stance on teacher pay action

January 7, 2020 | Associated Press

Indiana’s governor opened the door Monday to potentially boosting school funding and teacher pay after weeks of refuting any plans on such action until next year.

Bloomington annexation case heads to Supreme Court

January 6, 2020 | IL Staff

A battle over a voided annexation ordinance between Bloomington and the Indiana Governor’s Office will continue this week when the Indiana Supreme Court hears oral arguments.

Redistricting reform advocates pushing for transparency

January 6, 2020 | Lindsey Erdody and Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

Redistricting reform advocates are taking a slightly different approach at the Republican-controlled Indiana Legislature this year, as they make more transparency the priority ahead of lines being redrawn in 2021.

Indiana GOP holding off teacher pay action in 2020 session

January 6, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

Members of the Republican-dominated General Assembly return Monday to the Statehouse in Indianapolis for their 2020 session, during which they will face continued calls from teacher unions and Democrats for better teacher pay and less reliance on standardized student test scores for evaluation of schools and educators.

Report blames 65 Indiana child deaths on abuse or neglect

January 6, 2020 | Associated Press

A new report shows that 65 Indiana children died from abuse or neglect during 2018, the same number as its last year-long review. The Indiana Department of Child Services said it investigated 242 child fatalities that happened in 2018, determining 26% of those deaths were from abuse or neglect.

Senator tries again to ban Indiana vouchers over gay firings

January 3, 2020 | Associated Press

A proposal aimed at banning private schools that discriminate against gay employees and students from receiving Indiana voucher program money is being backed by the state’s Republican school superintendent.

Indiana school bus safety program nets nearly 2,700 tickets

January 2, 2020 | Associated Press

Indiana police departments issued nearly 2,700 tickets and 1,400 warnings for unsafe driving around school bus stops and routes during a two-month enforcement program, state officials announced Thursday.

Illinois sees first legal sales of recreational marijuana

January 2, 2020 | Associated Press and IL Staff

The sale of marijuana for recreational purposes became legal Wednesday in Illinois to the delight of pot fans — many who began lining up hours early at dispensaries. Meanwhile, legislative leaders in Indiana remain opposed to marijuana legalization in the Hoosier state.

Indiana asks SCOTUS for ‘urgently needed clarity’ in parental-notice abortion case

December 30, 2019 | Olivia Covington

Calling on the nation’s highest court to provide “urgently needed clarity” to caselaw governing abortion laws related to minors, the Office of the Indiana Attorney General is asking the Supreme Court to grant certiorari to a case challenging Indiana’s “mature minors” parental notice law.

Civil forfeiture amendments don’t defeat prior forfeiture action, COA says

December 27, 2019 | Olivia Covington

Legislative amendments to Indiana’s much-debated civil forfeiture scheme did not defeat a pre-existing forfeiture action in state court, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Friday, finding the amendments did not constitute an ex post facto law.

Despite conflicting statutes, COA affirms juvenile gun adjudication

December 26, 2019 | Dave Stafford

A juvenile dangerous possession of a firearm adjudication has been upheld by the Indiana Court of Appeals despite the finding that state statutes in play in his case are in conflict.

Year in Review: Baer death penalty reversal most-read IL story of 2019

December 25, 2019 | IL Staff

A federal appeals court’s reversal of Madison County killer Fredrick Baer’s death sentence was the most-read story on the Indiana Lawyer’s digital edition, www.theindianalawyer.com. Indiana Lawyer readers clicked on stories on our website more than 2.6 million times between Jan. 1 and Dec. 10, 2019, according to Google Analytics. Here are the 50 most-viewed story headlines during that time.

State expecting to bring in more revenue than previously estimated

December 20, 2019 | Lindsey Erdody and Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

The state is expecting an additional $531 million in revenue over the next biennium, according to a forecast released Friday. The revenue forecast shared with the State Budget Committee predicted an increase of $239 million and $292 million in 2020 and 2021, respectively, from the previous forecast released in April.

Indiana woman gets 4 years for fatal school bus stop crash

December 19, 2019 | Associated Press

An Indiana woman who plowed her pickup truck into four children, killing three of them, while they crossed a highway to board a school bus was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison.

Vaping crisis could be impetus for Legislature to raise smoking age to 21

December 17, 2019 | Lindsey Erdody and Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

Time and again, legislation in Indiana to raise the age to possess or purchase tobacco to 21 has failed. But that could be about to change.

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