Articles

New lawyers advised they cannot achieve success by themselves

As the newest group of Indiana attorneys raised their right hands and took their admission oaths Tuesday, they were reminded that just as they needed to achieve this success, they will continue through their careers to need a little help from their friends. The 120 individuals who passed the February 2019 Indiana Bar Exam were admitted to the Indiana Supreme Court as well as the Northern and Southern Indiana District Courts.

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Bedford attorney appointed judge pro tem to fill McCord vacancy

A judge pro tempore has been appointed to replace former Lawrence Circuit Judge Andrea K. McCord following her appointment to the federal judiciary as the newest bankruptcy judge in the Indiana Southern District Court. Serving in McCord’s place as judge pro tempore will be Bedford attorney Nathan G. Nikirk.

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IU McKinney announces rural justice judicial clerkships

A second Indiana law school has partnered with the Indiana Supreme Court to expose more students to the practice of law in less urban communities through a rural judicial clerkship program. Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law announced its collaboration with the state’s highest court, introducing five students who will take part in the “Supporting Rural Justice Initiative.”

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Judges’ shootings: What happened, and what happens next?

Two Clark County judges are recovering from gunshot wounds after being shot in downtown Indianapolis earlier this month. Meanwhile, two men accused in the shooting have been released from their bonds after the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office declined to file charges.

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Judges’ shooting suspects to go free after prosecutor declines to file charges

The two suspects arrested in connection with the shootings of two Clark County judges will soon go free after the Marion County Prosecutor's Office declined to file charges against them. Brandon Kaiser, 41, and Alfredo Vazquez, 23, were released as to their $200,000 and $60,000, respectively, bonds that were set in connection with the shootings of Clark Circuit Judges Andrew Adams and Bradley Jacobs. 

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Indianapolis police arrest 2 men in shootings of Clark County judges

Indiana police said Tuesday detectives arrested 41-year-old Brandon Kaiser and 23-year-old Alfredo Vazquez for their alleged roles in the shootings of Clark Circuit Judges Bradley Jacobs and Andrew Adams. Marion County Jail records shown Kaiser faces preliminary charges of attempted murder, battery, aggravated battery and carrying a handgun without a license, and Vazquez is charged with assisting a criminal.

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Indiana’s abortion ultrasound petition listed at U.S. Supreme Court

While the U.S. Supreme Court is still considering Indiana’s petition for a review of two abortion laws blocked by the lower courts, another abortion petition from the Hoosier state has been listed for the justices’ May 9 conference. Indiana filed a writ of certiorari Feb. 4, asking the Supreme Court to uphold its law requiring an ultrasound be performed on women seeking an abortion at least 18 hours before the procedure.

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Dismissal of lawyer’s defamation suit against magistrate affirmed

A Lafayette attorney alleging a Tippecanoe County magistrate defamed him by reporting he was carrying a firearm in court in violation of state law lost his appeal of the dismissal of his defamation case when the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded the magistrate was acting within her judicial capacity.

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Indianapolis police seek 2 suspects in judges’ shootings

Indianapolis police say they have two suspects they’re searching for in connection with the shootings of two southern Indiana judges attending a judicial conference in Indiana’s capital. Police on Friday released surveillance video showing the two suspects getting out of an SUV outside a downtown restaurant where the shootings of Clark Circuit Judges Bradley Jacobs and Andrew Adams occurred early Wednesday.

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Both wounded judges now in stable condition

Both Clark County judges wounded in a downtown Indianapolis shooting early Wednesday morning are now in stable condition. Clark Circuit Judges Andrew Adams and Bradley Jacobs remain hospitalized after being shot in the parking lot of a downtown Indianapolis White Castle around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.

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ABA sees ‘troubling gaps’ in civics knowledge in 2019 survey results

Members of the American public strongly support the First Amendment, but a recent American Bar Association civics literacy survey revealed that some confusion remains about what it actually protects. The results, which go hand-in-hand with the 2019 Law Day theme of “Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society,” revealed what the ABA called “troubling gaps” in the public’s basic knowledge of American civics.

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Judge improving after shooting; Supreme Court seeking temporary replacements

One of the two Clark County judges wounded in an Indianapolis shooting early Wednesday morning is improving after initially being in critical condition. Meanwhile, action is being taken to temporarily fill the now empty bench seats of the two injured judges. The Indiana Supreme Court said Thursday that Clark Circuit Judge Bradley Jacobs underwent surgery Thursday morning and is now in serious but stable condition.

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Supreme Court: Summarily approved commitment orders not valid

The Indiana Supreme Court has expressly disapproved of a Marion County judge’s practice of summarily approving civil commitment orders individually reviewed by the presiding commissioner, though the justices also noted that the fact that the defendants' commitment orders have expired makes their appeals moot.

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