Indiana bill would ease residency rules for Marion County public defenders
Supporters of the bill said the current residency requirement limits the quality of attorneys able to work in Marion County.
Public defenders
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New bail legislation aims to weigh due process and public safety
Judges can only keep defendants in jail without bond if they are accused of murder or treason.
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Closing the gap?: New law clears up ‘black hole’ between adult, juvenile courts
A new law should erase a “jurisdictional gap” that has allowed people who commit offenses before their 18th birthday to essentially avoid legal consequences as long as charges weren’t filed until after they turned 21.
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Inmates seeking COVID compassionate release face higher hurdle with 7th Circuit ruling
Since March 2020, attorney Kathryn DiNardo has taken up dozens of cases through the Indiana Federal Community Defenders from inmates hoping to be released early because of the pandemic. Those cases are but a drop in the bucket of inmates who have applied for compassionate release, and a July ruling from the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has seemingly further dwindled their chances of success.
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Diving into data: Prosecutors say new high-tech crime units will be beneficial; public defenders not so sure
With a total two-year appropriation of $6 million from the state, the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council is working with local prosecuting offices to establish 10 high-tech crime units that will be able to process and analyze digital evidence collected by law enforcement starting in 2022.
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Articles
Chief Justice Rush appoints three new members to Commission on Court Appointed Attorneys
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush appointed three new members to the court’s Commission on Court Appointed Attorneys, which plays an important role in establishing the state’s public defense infrastructure.
Public defender rules for poor Hoosiers often unwritten and vary by judicial officer, report finds
Indiana’s trial courts use largely individually set, unwritten methodologies to decide who’s poor enough for publicly funded legal defense, the state has found.
Public defender agency seeks to ease Indy residency requirement for employees
An almost 50-year-old requirement that Marion County employees live in Indianapolis is creating staffing problems for some city agencies, but councilors on the City-County Council’s Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee voted 6-5 against changing the rule.
Federal defense attorneys face three months of no pay
Attorneys who serve under the judicial branch’s Defender Services program were informed earlier this year that funding would soon dry up well ahead of the end of the fiscal year.
9 Indiana counties chosen for misdemeanor defense reimbursement pilot
Beginning next month — and for the first time in nearly 30 years — nine Indiana counties will enjoy partial state reimbursement for spending on public defenders for destitute Hoosiers accused of misdemeanors.
Indy attorney charged with soliciting nude photos from minors
The attorney has been charged with crimes that include vicarious sexual gratification with a minor under 14, child exploitation, dissemination of matter harmful to minors and child solicitation.
Refusing to sign clemency petition, Indiana Supreme Court weighs death row inmate’s final plea
About two weeks away from scheduled execution, Indiana death row inmate Joseph Corcoran’s last-ditch attempts to quash his capital punishment sentence are still up in the air.
Counsel for convicted murderer given until Nov. 1 to file clemency request
Counsel for Benjamin Ritchie, a man convicted in 2002 of murdering Beech Grove Police Officer William Toney, have until Nov. 1 to file a clemency request in response to the state’s motion to set an execution date, Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Loretta Rush wrote in an Oct. 3 order.
‘Money on the table’: One in five counties abstain from federal payback for child welfare defense
Indiana’s counties collectively earn hundreds of thousands of dollars annually from the federal government in child welfare-related public defense reimbursements — but could earn more if all 92 chose to take part.
Indiana to pilot return to reimbursement for misdemeanor public defenders
The increasing cost of public defenders for misdemeanor cases is each county’s own problem. Indiana hasn’t reimbursed for those services in nearly three decades. That’s about to change.
Disciplinary Commission issues advisory opinion on limited representation for public defenders
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion Thursday morning outlining how public defenders can efficiently navigate limited representation while representing a defendant at an initial hearing.
Justices say no ‘extraordinary circumstances’ existed to remove Delphi murder defendant’s counsel, but with a dissent
The Indiana Supreme Court is explaining its reasoning for reinstating the defense team of the man accused in the 2017 Delphi murder case, crafting a new rule for determining when a judge can remove a court-appointed attorney.
IN justices: Cash bail can be retained for representation costs, but other fines, fees, costs require indigency hearing
State statute authorizes trial courts to retain cash bail for the payment of public defender fees, but an indigency hearing is required before the cash can be retained for most other fines, fees and costs.
Just hours after arguments, IN Supreme Court reinstates Delphi murder suspect’s attorneys
Mere hours after hearing arguments in a dispute between the man accused of killing two teen girls from Delphi and the judge who removed his attorneys over his objection, the Indiana Supreme Court issued an order reinstating the man’s legal team.
Karozos appointed to second term as state public defender
The Indiana Supreme Court issued an order Monday reappointing State Public Defender Amy E. Karozos. Karozos will serve a second four-year term beginning Jan. 13, 2024, with the term expiring on Jan. 13, 2028.
Denial of motion to replace counsel on morning of sentencing was not error, COA affirms
A man’s displeasure with his appointed counsel in a manslaughter case did not require a trial court to replace the public defender the morning of a sentencing hearing, the Court of Appeals of Indiana affirmed Wednesday.
Juvenile pilot showing results: Marion Co. juvenile delinquency pilot responds well in early stages
After a nearly two-year pilot program, the Marion County Early Intervention Team and the Indiana Public Defender Commission say the initiative has shown promising early results.
Trial moved to late 2024 for Delphi man charged in killings of 2 girls slain during hiking trip
The trial for an Indiana man charged in the killings of two teenage girls slain in 2017 during a hiking trip was moved Tuesday from January to next October after the presiding judge told the suspect she will not allow his former attorneys to represent him.
State lawmaker panel weighs solutions to Indiana’s lawyer shortage
Indiana’s legal community is raising alarms about a statewide shortage of attorneys that has already led to barren courtrooms leaving hundreds of Hoosiers unrepresented.