A state panel has recommended that an Indiana trial court judge be suspended for six days without pay, following charges filed by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission pertaining to a dispute with the former county clerk.
A consultant hired by the state said Thursday Indiana has more than double the number of children in out-of-home care compared to the national average. The finding was among the highlights of an initial report commissioned by Gov. Eric Holcomb after the resignation of former Department of Child Services director Mary Beth Bonaventura.
A bill expanding the Indiana Attorney General’s ability to intervene in certain settlements that do not involve constitutional issues cleared a Statehouse committee Monday on a party-line vote. The measure advances to the full Senate.
The Indiana Supreme Court will decide if a man who led police on a chase that killed a driver and seriously injured two passengers can be convicted on multiple counts of resisting law enforcement after agreeing to hear the Marion County case last week.
A long-discussed civil forfeiture reform bill has cleared its first hurdle in the Indiana statehouse. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday passed Senate Bill 99, which tightens due process procedures when prosecutors seek to confiscate property allegedly connected with crimes.
A Marshall County child will now be in her father’s care after the Indiana Court of Appeals determined the impact of her mother’s stroke made a change in custody necessary for the best interests of the child.
An Oklahoma couple seeking custody of a child with ties to both the western state and Indiana have lost their Hoosier appeal, with the Indiana Court of Appeals determining an Indiana trial court properly exercised jurisdiction and awarded custody of the child to his mother.
Three magistrate judges have been selected as finalists to fill an upcoming vacancy in the Allen Superior Court.
As judicial resources continue to be stretched thin across Hoosier courtrooms, the Indiana Senate has approved two measures that would provide relief for two Indiana counties.
When a court accepts a fixed-sentence plea agreement, prosecutors and defenders alike say the long-standing practice has been for courts to uphold the exact terms of that sentence, absent an agreement between the parties. A recent Indiana Court of Appeals ruling, however, has seemingly put an end to that practice, leading to both a legislative and judicial review of the sentencing issue.
It’s no secret the ongoing opioid epidemic has ravaged nearly every corner of the Hoosier state, sending thousands to court on drug charges, ballooning the number of children in need of services and more. But even as the drug crisis strains Indiana’s judicial resources, Chief Justice Loretta Rush said new court programs and technology have positioned the judiciary to meet the crisis head-on and lead the state into a “hope-filled future.”
Several times while talking about the statewide computer system that keeps track of child support money, John Owens rapped his knuckles on the nearest piece of wood. Indiana’s technology, dubbed ISETS, processes almost $1 billion in child support payments every year. However, the Department of Child Services says in a report that ISETS is “built on dying technology” from the 1980s. The concern is one day, it will crash for good.
The Allen Superior Court Judicial Nominating Commission will begin interviews next week with candidates who have applied to fill an upcoming vacancy in the court’s Family Relations Division. The commission will narrow the list of candidates vying to succeed Judge Daniel G. Heath when he retires next month.
A Tippecanoe County mother who pleaded guilty to molesting her infant son will serve out her 40-year sentence after the Indiana Supreme Court granted transfer to her case and affirmed her sentence Wednesday.
The Indianapolis police chief says a witness protection program is needed to help prosecute violent crime.
An Indianapolis City-County Council committee on Tuesday night unanimously approved spending $55 million to pay for a fraction of the construction funding to build the city’s proposed criminal justice center.
A bill that would change how Indiana’s courts treat out-of-state felonies during sentencing will come before the full Indiana House of Representatives for a vote Tuesday.
The private operators of a southern Indiana landfill are suing two counties, seeking $5.2 million in bond proceeds they say they’re owed.
A bill pending before an Indiana Senate committee would place additional requirements on the Department of Child Services before removing a child from long-term foster care, though DCS representatives object to the bill on the basis of court caseloads and child safety.
Despite the “atrocious” nature of a murderer’s crimes, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed his death sentence in a habeas petition, finding prosecutorial misconduct and misleading jury instructions likely influenced the jury’s decision to sentence him to death.