US judge in Texas strikes down Biden loan-forgiveness plan
A U.S. judge in Texas on Thursday blocked President Joe Biden’s plan to provide millions of borrowers with up to $20,000 apiece in federal student-loan forgiveness.
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Inmate can proceed with claim that prison officer exposed him to COVID, court rules
An Indiana Department of Correction inmate can proceed with his claim that a prison officer violated his rights by housing COVID-positive inmates near him, a federal judge has ruled, rejecting the officer’s exhaustion-of-remedies argument on summary judgment.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Crouch returns from COVID-19 infection
Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch resumed public events on Tuesday after tests confirmed she had recovered from a COVID-19 infection, her office said.
Indiana Lt. Gov. Crouch says she has ‘mild’ COVID-19 illness
Indiana Lt. Gov. Suzanne Crouch tested positive for COVID-19 after experiencing cold-like symptoms on Monday, according to her office.
7th Circuit affirms convictions, sentences for three in major Gary drug conspiracy
Three Gary men intertwined in a major drug ring did not sway the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals from affirming their convictions and decadeslong sentences on Friday.
Ball State student may proceed in COVID breach-of-contract class action against university
A student’s class-action lawsuit filed against Ball State University for COVID-related closures can proceed, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.
Interim rule for expanded remote proceedings to expire Jan. 1, rule amendment proposed
The Indiana Supreme Court is rescinding the emergency order that expanded rules for remote proceedings. However, a proposed amendment to Administrative Rule 14 would continue giving trial court judges broad discretion to use virtual spaces.
Another court mulls Biden vaccine mandate for US contractors
A federal appeals court in New Orleans on Monday became the latest to hear arguments on whether President Joe Biden overstepped his authority with an order that federal contractors require that their employees be vaccinated against COVID-19.
IndyBar: Lawyers and the New Normal
Whether it was a personal illness, the death of a loved one, e-learning with our kids, or just dealing with the inconvenience and stress caused by various disruptions to our routines (some more significant than others), it is fair to say that many of COVID-19’s impacts would have to be put on the negative side of any ledger. However, there were positives as well.
US: 48 exploited pandemic to steal $250M from food program
United States authorities charged 48 people in Minnesota with conspiracy and other counts in what they said Tuesday was the largest pandemic-related fraud scheme yet, stealing $250 million from a federal program that provides meals to low-income children.
In abortion lawsuit, Rokita again argues AG has sole authority to represent state agencies
In the lawsuit attempting to block Indiana’s new abortion ban, a separate dispute is erupting between the Indiana Attorney General and the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office over the authority to hire outside counsel.
Indiana court hearing set after abortion ban takes effect
An Indiana judge won’t hear arguments until next week on a lawsuit seeking to block the state’s abortion ban, leaving that new law set to take effect on Thursday.
In Indiana, a shifting abortion landscape without clinics
Starting Sept. 15, abortion clinics in Indiana will be prohibited from providing any abortion care, leaving such services solely to hospitals or outpatient surgical centers owned by hospitals.
Regenstrief, IU land CDC grant to study ‘long COVID’
The Regenstrief Institute in Indianapolis and the schools of medicine and public health at Indiana University have received a five-year, seven-figure grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the long-term effects of COVID-19.
A year later, fight continues over vaccine mandates
In recent months, current and former employees of drugmaker Eli Lilly and Co., medical-equipment maker Roche Diagnostics and health care system Ascension St. Vincent have filed suit in federal district court, claiming their religious views and civil liberties were violated.
Fauci, top infectious disease expert, to retire in December
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert who became a household name — and the subject of partisan attacks — during the COVID-19 pandemic, announced Monday he will depart the federal government in December after more than five decades of service.
7th Circuit upholds denial of COVID insurance coverage to downtown Indy’s Conrad Hotel
Continuing a national trend, an Indianapolis hotel that suffered significant blows as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevail before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in its attempts to secure insurance coverage for its pandemic-related losses.
CDC drops quarantine, distancing recommendations for COVID
The nation’s top public health agency relaxed its COVID-19 guidelines Thursday, dropping the recommendation that Americans quarantine themselves if they come into close contact with an infected person. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also said people no longer need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.
2 men face new trial over scheme to kidnap Michigan governor
Two men accused of crafting a plan to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 and ignite a national rebellion are facing a second trial this week, months after a jury couldn’t reach a verdict on the pair while acquitting two others.
‘Law bots’ not taking over attorneys’ in-house jobs
In the panic that came with the COVID-19 pandemic, corporate legal departments went looking for their contracts to figure out which provisions were binding and which were eliminated under the “Act of God” clause. That scramble accelerated the growing trend of in-house attorneys adopting and using technology geared toward the legal industry.