Fixed-plea modification bill passes legislature
A bill meant to codify longstanding sentencing practices related to modification of plea agreements is headed to the governor after it passed the Indiana House of Representatives on Tuesday.
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Applications open for coming Marion Superior judge vacancies
As the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee prepares to conduct its first judicial retention interviews later this month, the committee also has begun accepting applications to fill three upcoming vacancies created by the retirement later this year of judges who will not seeking retention.
COA: State Fair board did not chill china painter’s free speech
The Indiana Court of Appeals gave a cold reception to a painter’s argument that the Indiana State Fair Board’s power to ban her from art competitions at the annual state fair “chilled” her right to free speech.
Supreme Court releases report on Commercial Courts amid challenge
Coinciding with the halfway point for the three-year Commercial Courts Pilot Project that faces a pending constitutional challenge, the Indiana Supreme Court has released a report on the six participating courts. More than half the cases were filed in Marion County, and three courts have had 10 or fewer cases filed.
Civil forfeiture reform passes General Assembly
A bill to reform many aspects of Indiana’s civil forfeiture proceedings is headed to Gov. Eric Holcomb after receiving unanimous support on final passage from the House of Representatives on Monday. The legislation increases due process protections in such cases.
Democrat’s call for interim study of DCS passes Senate committee
A resolution calling for a review of the Indiana Department of Child Services passed the Indiana Senate Committee on Family and Children Services Monday. The study committee would meet for the next two interim sessions starting this year.
ACLU report: Debtors’ prisons no longer relic of Dickensian past
Hoosiers who bounce a check, fall behind in rent, or owe even a few dollars can find themselves arrested and thrown in jail, according to a new report by the American Civil Liberties Union released this week that examines the rise of debtor’s prison in the United States.
DCS, CHINS bills continue to sail through Statehouse
A slew of bills aimed at helping youngsters designated as children in need of services and another targeting overdue child support payments cleared legislative committees Wednesday with no opposing votes.
Attorney wants confession in Colts player’s death thrown out
A judge is being asked to throw out a confession from a Guatemalan man living illegally in the U.S. who’s charged in a drunken-driving crash that killed Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver.
17 Marion County judges begin new retention process, 3 opt to retire
Marion County will start its new judicial selection process next month with the interviews of 17 judges who want to stand for retention in the November 2018 elections. Three other judges — Democrats Thomas Carroll and Rebekah Pierson-Treacy and Republican Michael Keele — have decided to retire at the end of this year.
Three Marion County judges retiring at the end of 2018
Three Marion County judges will retire from the bench at the end of this year as the new process for selecting and retaining Indianapolis judges will get underway next month with the first-ever retention interviews by the Marion County Judicial Selection Committee.
Kiritsis film recalls insanity defense reform
As a new documentary on the notorious Tony Kiritsis kidnapping case in Indianapolis wins critical acclaim, attorneys who worked on the case note it was an impetus for insanity defense reforms that swept the nation.
Study: Legal needs rise despite available aid
Despite a continued need for legal representation, few Americans hire attorneys. Legal aid experts said there are two questions the legal community should consider: what’s keeping people, particularly those from low-income communities, from hiring legal help; and how can the profession reverse the trend?
Goshen man convicted in slayings of 2 Michigan brothers
A northern Indiana man has been convicted in the fatal shootings of two Michigan brothers. An Elkhart County jury convicted 28-year-old James Ross Jr. of two counts of murder Tuesday after a weeklong trial.
Supreme Court upholds DOC’s lethal injection protocols
The Indiana Department of Correction can alter its lethal injection protocols without going through a rule-making process because such protocols are internal procedures without the effect of law, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled in a decision affirming the dismissal of a death row inmate’s challenge to Indiana’s lethal injection cocktail.
Holcomb appoints 2 women to judgeships
In his first judicial appointments of 2018, Gov. Eric Holcomb has tapped two attorneys with prosecutorial experience to serve as superior court judges in Elkhart and Tippecanoe counties.
Indiana man accused of molesting 17 children faces lawsuit
A southern Indiana man who worked as an elementary school teaching assistant is accused of sexually assaulting 17 young children and is being sued by one of his alleged victims.
New judge pro tem appointed in Lawrence County
A new judge pro tempore will begin serving in the Lawrence Superior Court this month after the current judge pro tem announced he would no longer be able to fulfill his duties.
Civil forfeiture reform advances, but concerns remain
The Indiana Senate has approved a bill that would reform many aspects of Indiana’s civil forfeiture framework, a move local attorneys who practice such cases say is a step in the right direction. However, concerns remain about whether the legislation provides criminal defendants sufficient due process.
Senate Republicans split as hate crime bill yanked from vote
Fourteen days after rallying on the third floor of the Indiana Statehouse to cheer, applaud and push the Legislature into passing a hate crime bill this session, advocates were stunned the measure failed last week to even get a committee vote.