Articles

5th Amendment smartphone privacy case goes before Supreme Court

It began in July 2017, when Katelin Seo was arrested on stalking-related charges and ordered to unlock her cellphone as part of the criminal investigation. Seo refused, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, and a flurry of constitutional and technology-related questions ensued.

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7th Circuit case highlights confusion over online home value ‘Zestimates’

The 7th Circuit both rejected proposed class action lawsuit against the website Zillow, but Realtors and real estate attorneys still have concerns about whether its “Zestimates” are unnecessarily misleading. Zillow, however, insists its estimation practices are transparent and legal, thus making their home valuations a beneficial tool for buyers and sellers.

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Justices: Admission of warrantless cell location data was harmless

Even though law enforcement conducted a warrantless Fourth Amendment search when they accessed of a man’s cellphone location data, the admission of the data does not warrant a new trial because any error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled Friday, upholding a man’s four convictions in a case heard on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Carmel police force deploying body cameras

A suburban Indianapolis police force has begun deploying new body cameras while on patrol. The city of Carmel says its police department received an $80,000 federal grant to help fund the first phase of a five-year, no-interest lease for 120 body cameras and 100 in-car cameras.

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David, Rush publish dissent as high court lets stand sentencing via video

Indiana’s chief justice and the most senior jurist on the Indiana Supreme Court published a sharp dissent Tuesday from a 3-2 ruling that could pave the way for defendants to be sentenced via video. Chief Justice Loretta Rush and Justice Steven David argued in the minority that defendants have a constitutional right to be physically present when a judge imposes a sentence for a crime.

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Mills: AI’s impact, from driverless cars to lawyerless law firms

For decades, lawyers had a false sense of security that they were safe from technological automation because their work involved complex decision-making and creative problem-solving that a computer algorithm could never match. However, technology runs in a single direction toward improvement.

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5G cell service creates new data possibilities for lawyers

Just when it seemed technology couldn’t possibly get any faster or more advanced, wireless networks introduced 5G service. And Indianapolis is one of four cities where a major carrier is rolling out service that could impact how legal professionals do business.

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Statewide e-filing hitting the homestretch

The advent of electronic filing has changed the way Hoosier attorneys do business. Tasks that once required lawyers and their staffs to sift through Bankers Boxes and drive to courthouses can now be completed with just a few keystrokes. As of the end of 2018, 85 of Indiana’s 92 counties had implemented voluntary e-filing, with many of those counties now requiring attorneys to file at least some documents electronically.

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Supreme Court to travel, invites amici in smartphone privacy case

The Indiana Supreme Court will hit the road early next year to hear oral argument in a first impression case involving smartphone privacy. Justices also have invited amicus parties in the case as they seek to determine whether law enforcement can force a woman to unlock her phone as part of a criminal investigation.

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Appellate courts seek extra $1M for legal aid, technology

Citing a need to further invest in Indiana’s civil legal aid infrastructure, the Indiana Supreme Court is asking the General Assembly to allocate an additional $1 million to the court in the next biennial budget to fund civil legal aid efforts.

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