Articles

Fight over Indiana abortion law still waiting at U.S. Supreme Court

While the Supreme Court of the United States has yet to agree to hear an abortion rights case this term, a petition from Indiana regarding its law regulating the disposal of fetal remains and prohibiting women from terminating their pregnancies based on race, sex or disability remains under consideration. Indiana filed a writ of certiorari after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a preliminary injunction against 2016's House Enrolled Act 1337.

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Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow asylum ban

The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border. The administration said in court papers filed Tuesday that the nationwide order preventing the policy from taking effect “is deeply flawed” and should be lifted pending an appeal that could reach the high court.

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Hoosier civil forfeiture case at SCOTUS tests excessive fines prohibition

Marion resident Tyson Timbs never expected to be the face of civil forfeiture reform at the United States Supreme Court. Several times during his five-year legal battle, Timbs wanted to throw in the towel. Sometimes, all he wanted was to put his past trouble with the law behind him. But he also said he wanted to fight against what he views as widespread unjust civil forfeiture practices.

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Justices won’t hear states’ appeal over Planned Parenthood

The Supreme Court on Monday avoided a high-profile case by rejecting appeals from Kansas and Louisiana in their effort to strip Medicaid money from Planned Parenthood, over the dissenting votes of three justices. The court’s order reflected a split among its conservative justices and an accusation from Justice Clarence Thomas that his colleagues seemed to be ducking the case for political reasons.

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Whether a president can be prosecuted remains in dispute

For the first time, prosecutors have tied President Donald Trump to a federal crime, accusing him of directing illegal hush-money payments to women during his presidential campaign in 2016. Although Trump hasn’t been charged with any crimes, the question of whether a president can even be prosecuted while in office is a matter of legal dispute.

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IU Maurer professor under Title IX investigation

Associate law professor Ian Samuel, who joined the faculty at Indiana University Maurer School of Law this fall and is a co-host of the popular "First Mondays" podcast on the U.S. Supreme Court, is under investigation for alleged Title IX violations, according to Indiana University.

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High court rejects request to reinstate murderer Baer’s death sentence

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by Indiana’s attorney general’s office to reinstate the death sentence of a man convicted of killing a central Indiana woman and her 4-year-old daughter. Monday’s decision leaves in place a federal appeals court ruling that threw out Frederick Baer’s death sentence because he had ineffective legal counsel. He’ll now be resentenced by an Indiana court.

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Supreme Court sends bar fees case back for further look

The U.S. Supreme Court is telling a lower court to take another look at a case challenging mandatory fees lawyers pay to a state bar association. The case sent back Monday involves a North Dakota attorney who sued after learning that bar fees were being used to oppose a ballot measure he supported. The justices said the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals should reconsider the case in light of a recent ruling about fees paid to unions, Janus v. AFSCME.

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Pro-Kavanaugh group received millions from anonymous donors

After President Donald Trump announced Kavanaugh’s nomination in July, the Judicial Crisis Network declared that it was prepared to spend as much as $10 million or more in a pro-Kavanaugh advertising campaign. It set up confirmkavanaugh.com, calling Kavanaugh “a person of impeccable character, extraordinary qualifications, independence, and fairness.”

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US Supreme Court pushes deadline on Lake Michigan beach case

The U.S. Supreme Court won’t decide until next year whether to consider arguments from residents of Chief Justice John Roberts’ Indiana hometown of Long Beach over ownership of the Lake Michigan community’s shoreline. The case could have a ripple effect for public and private property rights across the Great Lakes states.

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Trump team turns over written answers to Mueller’s questions

President Donald Trump has provided the special counsel with written answers to questions about his knowledge of Russian interference in the 2016 election, his lawyers said Tuesday, avoiding, at least for now, a potentially risky sit-down with prosecutors. It’s the first time he has directly cooperated with the long investigation.

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