Senators seek candidate to fill Judge Barker’s vacancy
Indiana Sens. Joe Donnelly and Dan Coats have begun the process for selecting a candidate to fill the vacancy coming to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker
Articles
Senior status not likely to slow Judge Barker
Attorneys and judges alike say whenever Judge Sarah Evans Barker is on the bench, there is no question who is in charge in that courtroom. This is a judge they universally describe as well-prepared, well-organized and authoritative, but not averse to occasionally introducing a little humor in the proceedings.
Judge Sarah Evans Barker to take senior status
After 30 years on the federal bench, Judge Sarah Evans Barker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has announced her intention to take senior status effective June 30, 2014.
Man may not have drug sentence reduced after pleading guilty
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the denial of a defendant’s request to reduce his sentence after he pleaded guilty to distributing crack cocaine. The judges also pointed out concerns with the use of a form order in his case.
Federal judge dismisses whistleblower suit against Rolls-Royce
A federal judge in Indianapolis has dismissed a whistleblower lawsuit filed by a former Rolls-Royce Corp. engineer who accused the company of selling faulty aircraft engine parts to the government.
7th Circuit judge grants prisoner’s request for certificate of appealability
An Indiana prisoner’s request for a certificate of appealability has been granted by a 7th Circuit judge who found the man’s application set forth a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right.
Judges halt enforcement of challenged laws
Two federal judges issued preliminary injunctions June 24 preventing parts of two new controversial laws regarding immigration and funding of Planned Parenthood of Indiana from being enforced.
7th Circuit denies petition to remove judge
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals denied a man’s petition for writ of mandamus to remove a federal judge from a case he is involved with that’s still pending in District Court. The man failed to intervene in the case and his interest in the case is too uncertain to give him the rights of a party automatically, the judges ruled Friday.
Indiana courts to host judicial independence panel discussion
The Indiana Supreme Court is hosting a panel discussion in mid-February to discuss the broad topic of judicial independence and how courts operate in our democracy, and it’s turning to the online and social media world to help shape how the event unfolds.
Indiana has received 14 multidistrict litigation actions over four decades
It began with a mid-air plane collision over Shelby County in 1969. That deadly aviation action symbolized Indiana’s introduction to multidistrict litigation.
Settlement reached on foster care rates
The Indiana Department of Child Services has agreed not to cut subsidies for foster and adoptive parents and other caregivers as part of a class-action settlement in federal court.
Court History Symposium set for Nov. 18
The third annual “Court History Symposium: Court History and History in the Making” CLE will feature remarks from Southern District judges as the court enters a new era.
7th Circuit upholds injunction in adult-business ordinance case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a Southern District of Indiana judge who granted a preliminary injunction preventing Indianapolis from enforcing the 2002 ordinance that regulates adult-bookstore business hours.
Judge nixes non-attorney’s attempt to join class action
A federal judge says that a non-attorney who wants to work for the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana or as a local public defender can’t join an already-pending class-action lawsuit that challenges the state’s Board of Law Examiners and its questions about applicants’ mental health history.
7th Circuit rules on attorney fee issues in brownfield case
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has mostly upheld an Indiana federal judge who’d ruled on the litigation costs and
attorney fees involved in a Shell gas station brownfield case.
A chargeback isn’t a sale of insurance
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals held today that a chargeback for the cost of insurance is not a sale of insurance, as some
owner-operators of leased trucks argued. The Circuit Court also took issue with the District judge’s decision on which
statute of limitations applied to the parts of the suit.
SCOTUS declines New Albany ordinance case
The Supreme Court of the United States won’t take a case from New Albany about the city’s battle to close an adult
book and movie store.
Judicial nominees on the road to confirmation
When he was being considered for a seat on the federal appellate bench, Judge John D. Tinder recalled getting a phone call
about an ongoing case just before he was set to appear before senators in Washington, D.C.
Former attorney gets probation in fraud case
A former attorney who pleaded guilty to mail fraud last year was sentenced to 3 years probation Tuesday by a federal
judge.
Judge blocks DCS rate changes for now
A federal judge in Indianapolis has temporarily blocked the Indiana Department of Child Services from reducing the amounts
it pays to foster and adoptive parents and juvenile-service providers.