Anti-domestic violence effort named after fallen officer
An initiative to reduce domestic violence in Indianapolis is named after a police officer killed in the line of duty responding to such an incident, officials say.
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Federal court rejects archdiocese’s religious exemption claim in Roncalli case
Ruling the religious exemption in Title VII should be narrowly construed so as to avoid stripping employees of all protections against discrimination, the Southern Indiana District Court denied a motion for judgment on the pleadings by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis in a lawsuit brought by a guidance counselor who was fired from her job at Roncalli High School for being in a same-sex marriage.
Retired Magistrate Judge Cherry to serve Southern District as criminal duty magistrate
A retired magistrate judge of Indiana’s Northern District Court has been temporarily assigned to provide targeted assistance in the Indianapolis division of the Southern District Court, Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson announced Thursday.
Escaped Kentucky inmate captured in southern Indiana
An inmate who escaped from a Kentucky jail last month by climbing through a hole in a jail window has been captured in southern Indiana, authorities said.
Fighting words: Pro se’s 20-year legal battle morphs into crusade over perceived unfairness
Peter Prostyakov, a native of Moscow who’s now a U.S. Citizen living in Carmel, details what he concedes is his convoluted journey into the federal judicial system, where he believes courts act unfairly toward him and other self-represented litigants.
Police shoot southern Indiana man after domestic disturbance
Police responding to a domestic disturbance at a southern Indiana home shot and critically wounded an armed man early Monday after he refused to drop the weapon, state police said.
Southern District Court to discuss suffrage at history symposium
The struggle for women’s suffrage in Indiana will take center stage at the 13th annual Court History and Continuing Legal Education Symposium next month in the second presentation of a three-part symposium hosted by the Historical Society of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
Man charged in death of missing teen dies before trial
A man charged in July in the death of an Indiana teenager who vanished in 1986 has died following an undisclosed illness, leaving the teen’s family still searching for answers to her fate.
Federal judge blocks Indiana’s noon deadline for receiving mail-in ballots
A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a state law that declares mail-in absentee ballots late and invalid if they aren’t received by noon on Election Day.
‘Her Honor’: New painting reflects strength, diversity of women judges on Southern Indiana District Court
Looking up from her desk, Southern Indiana District Court Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson can have a moment of joy in a year where, as she noted, joyful moments have been too few. The object of her respite is “Her Honor,” a newly finished painting that depicts her and her female colleagues against a background of colorful bursts and expression to commemorate the achievement of women in the 100 years since the passage of the 19th Amendment.
1 officer indicted in Breonna Taylor case but not for her death
Officials in Louisville and communities throughout Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois are preparing for more protests and possible unrest as the public nervously awaits the Kentucky attorney general’s announcement about whether he will charge officers in Breonna Taylor’s shooting death.
Southern Indiana District Court opens applications for new magistrate judge
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, one of the busiest federal courts in the country, has been allotted another full-time magistrate judge position and is taking applications for the appointment, which will start April 1, 2021.
Coming full circle: Weissmann joins COA after years of appellate practice
At 10 a.m. Monday, Leanna Weissmann transitioned from practitioner to judge. “What a star,” Chief Justice Loretta Rush said of Weissmann when her appointment was announced. “I will miss you standing before me arguing cases. … I always knew it would be a whale of an argument.”
Charlestown zoo owner facing contempt after blocking court-ordered animal removal
As the process of removing animals from an Indiana zoo featured on Netflix’s hit series “Tiger King” begins, the owner of the zoo is already facing a contempt motion for allegedly interfering with the court-ordered removal.
IU wins summary judgment in ex-student’s Title IX case
Along with granting summary judgment to Indiana University in an ex-student’s Title IX sexual misconduct lawsuit, the Southern Indiana District Court found the exercise of supplemental jurisdiction was proper and also dismissed the male student’s state law claims.
COA rules in favor of head-butting ram’s owner in negligence case
A woman injured after being head-butted by a ram could not convince the Indiana Court of Appeals on Thursday that the trial court erred in giving certain final instructions during her unsuccessful jury trial.
Former official for Carmel-based fraternity foundation sentenced to 27 months
The former financial coordinator of a charitable foundation operated by Carmel-based women’s fraternity Zeta Tau Alpha has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison after pleading guilty to embezzling about $450,000 from the organization.
Hispanic Heritage Month speaker to address citizenship during annual celebration
The United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and the Indiana State Bar Association Latino Affairs Committee will host a presentation focusing on historical and contemporary approaches to the dilemmas of citizenship during its fourth annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
7th Circuit declines to reinstate exhibitor’s license for controversial Charlestown zoo owner
In a second legal defeat in one week, the owner of the controversial Charlestown zoo appearing in Netflix’s “Tiger King” series has lost his bid to reinstate his federal exhibitor’s license.
Southern District again suspends jury trials due to COVID-19
Jury trials in all divisions of the Southern District of Indiana have once again been suspended, Chief Judge Jane E. Magnus-Stinson announced Wednesday. The decision stems from the recent rise in COVID-19 cases across the state and within the district following a brief resumption of jury trials.