Articles

Senate concludes Kavanaugh hearing; confirmation likely

After two marathon days questioning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, senators concluded his confirmation hearing Friday by listening to others talk about him — friends stressing his fairness and warmth but opponents warning he’d roll back abortion rights and shield President Donald Trump. Senators on the Judiciary Committee are likely to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Sept. 20 with a vote by the full Senate the following week.

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Red Masses scheduled around the state

Catholic dioceses around Indiana are preparing to celebrate the traditional Red Mass in coming weeks. Special receptions will follow each service and feature keynote speakers discussing an array of topics of interest to the legal community.

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What to watch for as senators consider Kavanaugh nomination

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set for a week of marathon hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republicans are focusing on Kavanaugh’s 12-year career as an appellate court judge, while Democrats are expected to grill the 53-year-old conservative on hot-button issues that could swing the court’s majority rightward.

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John Dean of Nixon fame to testify at Kavanaugh hearing

The Senate Judiciary Committee has added former Solicitor General Theodore Olson and former White House counsel John Dean to the list of witnesses who will testify next week in the confirmation hearings for Brett Kavanaugh to serve on the Supreme Court.

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Affirming juvenile DOC placement, COA seeks effective counsel guidance

A 15-year-old who had multiple instances of violent rage and who could no longer be controlled by his parents was properly placed in the Department of Correction, an Indiana Court of Appeals panel found. But judges also used the case to ask the Indiana Supreme Court for guidance on measuring the effectiveness of counsel in similar juvenile cases.

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Judge who heard Nassar case won’t disqualify herself

A Michigan judge who held an extraordinary hearing before sentencing sports doctor Larry Nassar to prison for sexually assaulting female athletes refused to disqualify herself from the case Friday if higher courts send it back to fix any errors. Ingham County Judge Rosemarie Aquilina said some of her courtroom comments about Nassar were “perhaps inartful,” but she denied any bias.

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Memorial honoring Lozano scheduled for next month

The Indiana Northern District Court will honor the late Senior Judge Rudy Lozano at a memorial service in his honor next month. The service will begin at 2 p.m. Sept. 24 in Lozano's courtroom in the Hammond Federal Courthouse, 5400 Federal Plaza.

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Judge in Manafort trial brings short fuse and sharp wit

Lawyers who have appeared before Thomas Selby Ellis III, the judge hearing the Paul Manafort trial, said he likes to be seen as the smartest person in the courtroom, not a huge leap for a judge. With his Princeton-Harvard-Oxford education and experience spanning consequential cases in an era of war and terrorism Ellis is known to cut lawyers down to size, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so much.

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Judge to hear Nassar’s request that she disqualify herself

A judge who sentenced disgraced former sports doctor Larry Nassar to prison for molesting girls will hold a hearing on a request that she disqualify herself from his appeal of the sentence. Nassar’s court-appointed appellate lawyers said the judge was biased, citing comments such as saying she would allow someone “to do to him what he did to others” if the constitution allowed.

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