Misdemeanant challenges voting lockout
When a former town council member in northern Indiana was sentenced to county jail for two months on a misdemeanor battery conviction, he didn’t realize that experience would take away his right to vote.
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Attorney general files ‘notario publico’ civil suits
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office filed a pair of civil consumer deception lawsuits Wednesday against two non-attorneys for offering immigration services that constitute the unauthorized practice of law.
Trustee: Pastrick’s bankruptcy not an abuse
Reversing her decision from a month ago, a federal trustee has determined that former East Chicago Mayor Robert Pastrick’s income is not too high to qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy and his filing should not be considered to be an abuse of the process.
First impression case tackles wetlands issue
In a case of first impression, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded that a landowner who raises the subterranean water table on his land and creates a federally regulated wetland may not invoke the common enemy doctrine of water diversion and be shielded from liability to adjoining landowners whose properties as a result become federally regulated wetlands.
Governor appoints 3 judges
Gov. Mitch Daniels made three judicial appointments, filling vacancies in Howard, Jay, and Wells county courts.
Justices accept certified question on misdemeanor voting
The Indiana Supreme Court has taken a question proposed by a federal court in a suit challenging the law that prevents voting by people with misdemeanor convictions.
Justices adopt COA adoption holding, invite attorney fee motions
The Indiana Supreme Court has granted transfer on a St. Joseph County adoption case and fully adopted a holding by the state’s intermediate appellate court. In doing so, the state justices invited the prevailing biological mother to request attorney fees because of what it found to be possible frivolous or bad faith efforts.
Justices order man to be re-sentenced
A man who received 50 years for murder should be re-sentenced because of conflicting amendments involving the penalty for murder at the time the judge handed down the sentence, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled today.
Unified courts, judicial nomination bills move
Several bills of impact on the courts saw action this week before the Indiana General Assembly shut down for two days after a winter storm hit the state.
Hammond District court closed Thursday
The Clerk’s Office and Hammond District Court in the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana remain closed Thursday due to weather conditions.
Many courts shut down due to weather
Several courts around the state are closed today after heavy snow and ice hit Indiana this week. The weather has even caused the Indiana General Assembly to postpone hearings for a second day.
7th Circuit extends search, detainment precedent
More than two decades ago, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals said that a higher precedent allowed not only residents of a home being searched to be detained, but also that visitors to that location could be detained.
Law firm files class-action lawsuit for estate planning UPL
A Logansport law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against an Indianapolis company that the state’s highest court last year determined engaged in the Unauthorized Practice of Law, suing on behalf of thousands of residents for what attorneys estimate could be $10 million to $20 million in damages.
Lawsuit challenges free-expression restriction at airport
A Fort Wayne man is suing the Allen County Airport Authority because he claims a recently enacted resolution severely restricts his ability to protest the new screening procedures implemented by the Transportation Security Administration.
Jasper County joins Odyssey
Jasper County became the state’s 26th county to go live on the Indiana Supreme Court’s Odyssey case management system. The county’s courts and clerk’s office joined the system Jan. 21, bringing the total of courts on Odyssey to 81.
Magistrate judge up for reappointment
The term of Magistrate Judge Paul R. Cherry of the U.S. District Court, Northern District of Indiana will expire this year and the District Court is seeking comment on whether the magistrate judge should be reappointed.
Valparaiso law school hosts discussion on race for MLK event
The 2011 Martin Luther King Lecture, “After Obama: Three ‘Post-Racial’ Challenges,” will take place at Valparaiso University School of Law Jan. 20. The event begins at 4 p.m. at Weseman Hall, 656 S. Greenwich St., Valparaiso. It is free and open to the public. Advance registration is not required.
Justices set man’s execution date
The Indiana Supreme Court has ordered the man convicted of killing his wife, her ex-husband, and her son be put to death in April.
Security increased following threats to judge
The Huntington County Sheriff’s Department has taken steps to protect a northeastern Indiana judge after learning of threats made against the judge late last week.
Judges reverse man’s removal from sex offender list
A trial court erred in ordering a man’s name removed from the state’s sex offender registry because the court didn’t provide notice to the appropriate parties or hold a hearing before doing so, ruled the Indiana Court of Appeals.