Appeal from involuntary commitment dismissed as moot
A woman’s appeal of her completed involuntary commitment does not present an exception to mootness, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled in a dismissal.
mental health
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Noblesville middle school shooter ordered to stay in custody
A judge ordered a former student who opened fire at an Indiana middle school in 2018, wounding another student and a teacher, to remain in custody after a corrections employee said Thursday that he “fist-bumped” her breast.
Fort Wayne schools sue top social media companies for alleged harm to students’ mental health
Fort Wayne Community Schools has filed a public nuisance lawsuit against the world’s top social media platforms, claiming their apps are harming students’ mental health.
Evidence supports ‘gravely disabled’ finding for appellant ordered to temporary commitment, COA affirms
A woman ordered to a temporary mental health commitment has failed to convince the Court of Appeals of Indiana that a trial court wrongly determined she was gravely disabled.
Weissmann and Harrell: Heads up: We’re all in this together in the fight against stigma
Mental health issues are important for lawyers to understand, because as mental health increasingly takes center stage in attorney offices and the courtroom, we must see ourselves in our clients’ struggles.
7 deputies charged with murder in the death of Irvo Otieno
Video from a state mental hospital shows a Black Virginia man who was handcuffed and shackled being pinned to the ground by seven deputies who are now facing second-degree murder charges in his death.
Chief Justice Rush’s speech at ABA Midyear Meeting focuses on mental health
Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush represented the Conference of Chief Justices and the National Center for State Courts at the American Bar Association’s Midyear Meeting on Monday.
School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road
Like the tobacco, oil, gun, opioid and vaping industries before them, the big U.S. social media companies are now facing lawsuits brought by public entities that seek to hold them accountable for a huge societal problem: the mental health crisis among youth.
Split COA affirms that Army vet can’t call psychologist to testify about PTSD in murder case
A U.S. Army combat veteran who was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, on the day of the 2009 mass shooting cannot call a psychologist to testify about his post-traumatic stress disorder in his murder trial, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
IN justices: Trial courts must show ‘good cause’ for remote hearings, but error in commitment case was harmless
If a party objects to holding a remote hearing, a trial court can’t deny the motion by simply citing COVID-19 without further elaboration.
Pilot project designed to give second chance: Interdisciplinary Defense System brings together agencies to help individuals reentering society
With a game-changing grant of $4 million from the Lilly Endowment Inc., a long-discussed idea for creating a support network to help individuals reentering society after a period of incarceration is becoming a reality.
Indiana CJ Rush chairing Rehnquist award dinner at SCOTUS
Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush is chairing tonight’s annual Rehnquist award dinner at the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., which will put a spotlight on state courts and their work to address the country’s mental health crisis.
Man who killed 6 in Wisconsin Christmas parade gets life, no release
A judge sentenced a man who killed six people and injured many others when he drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee to life in prison with no chance of release Wednesday.
IN justices grant transfer in murder-mental health case
A case concerning a man with serious mental health issues who went to prison after he killed his grandfather and sued the hospital he was getting treatment from will go before the Indiana Supreme Court.
Statewide, local justice reinvestment efforts continue: Mental health summit prompts discussion, action from justice stakeholders
Leaders from all three branches of Indiana government rallied last month to discuss ongoing statewide efforts to address the growing mental health needs of Hoosiers — and to promote a new way of working together.
Study: Untreated mental illness costs Indiana billions
A health policy researcher at the Indiana University Fairbanks School of Public Health says the economic burden of untreated mental illness in Indiana is higher than the value of corn produced in the Hoosier State.
US Supreme Court denies Oklahoma death row inmate’s appeal
The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a last-minute appeal filed by Oklahoma death row inmate Benjamin Cole, paving the way for him to receive a lethal injection Thursday.
IN justices consider transfer in remote commitment case
The Indiana Supreme Court heard arguments in a commitment case about whether a trial court wrongly denied a woman’s request to have her case heard in person during the COVID-19 pandemic – and whether it provided the necessary good cause as to why she couldn’t.
IPAS appeals after district court denies motion seeking plan for faster competency restoration services
A federal court has denied a motion that would have required Indiana to reduce the time criminal defendants who are found incompetent wait to receive competency restoration services, ruling the jails’ treatment for the mentally ill is “minimally adequate.”
Government-wide mental health summit to be held next month
Leaders from each branch of Indiana government will come together next month to discuss ongoing statewide efforts for addressing the mental health needs of Hoosiers.