Articles

Biden pressed to end federal death penalty

Joe Biden, the first sitting U.S. president to openly oppose the death penalty, has discussed the possibility of instructing the Department of Justice to stop scheduling new executions, officials have told The Associated Press. But it remains unclear whether Biden may take broader action to halt the federal death penalty.

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JLAP: The promise of self-compassion

Lawyer Jill Carnell invites you to try the practice of self-compassion because it can make you a better lawyer by helping you to more easily “reset” when you find yourself in an emotionally or physically painful situation.

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US executes first woman since 1953

A Kansas woman who briefly won a reprieve earlier this week from an Indiana federal judge was executed early Wednesday morning in Terre Haute for strangling an expectant mother in Missouri and cutting the baby from her womb. It was the first time in nearly seven decades that the U.S. government has put to death a female inmate.

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Lawyers: Inmate set for Tuesday execution is seriously mentally ill, ineligible for death penalty

“Broken before she was born.” That’s how lawyers describe Lisa Marie Montgomery, the only woman on federal death row and the next person scheduled for execution. Her lawyers and advocates who cite her horrific history of childhood abuse and trauma are calling on President Donald Trump to commute her sentence to life without parole or to grant her a reprieve.

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Community Justice Campus nears completion

Marion County’s ambitious plan to put the various pieces of the local justice system onto a single campus is on schedule to be completed at the end of 2021. The Indianapolis-Marion County Community Justice Center, located just southeast of downtown in the Twin Aire neighborhood, will be home to the county jail, the sheriff’s office and the county courthouse. Earlier this year, the Assessment and Intervention Center opened and is treating individuals with mental health and addiction issues.

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Murder conviction COA vacated over attorney juror’s misconduct reinstated

Indiana Supreme Court justices affirmed Wednesday that a Vanderburgh County man who murdered his wife was not harmed when an attorney juror in his trial committed gross misconduct. The high court reinstated the man’s convictions that had been vacated by the Indiana Court of Appeals over the attorney’s misconduct in providing a misleading answer on a jury questionnaire.

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JLAP: Grief is more than just the ‘holiday blues’

There is more in the air than holiday cheer. It feels heavy and different, the kind of energy you can’t put your finger on. David Kessler, renowned grief expert, issued a wake-up call: “We are all dealing with the collective loss of the world we knew. The world we knew is now gone forever.” If you feel like singing the blues, you are not alone.

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