Articles

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.

Read More

Legal analytics help lawyers respond to client questions

in an age of technology, new legal tech tools are being designed to provide attorneys with more specific answers for clients’ numerous questions about expected case outcomes. Legal analytics tools provide data on how a judge typically rules on summary judgment motions, how long a particular judge generally takes to decide a case or how often opposing counsel chooses to settle.

Read More
smartphone-lock-090518.jpg

Smartphone privacy ruling tests how technology affects rights

A consequential Indiana Court of Appeals ruling on an issue of first impression last month marked one of the first times state courts have been asked to reconcile civil rights with advancing technology. The question: considering the personal nature of the contents of a person’s smartphone, can an individual be forced to unlock a smartphone without violating the Fifth Amendment?

Read More

Smartphone privacy first impression case splits COA

Law enforcement cannot force a Hamilton County woman to unlock her smartphone as part of criminal investigation because doing so would violate Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination, a divided panel of the Indiana Court of Appeals held on an issue of first impression that combined constitutional law with technological advancements.

Read More

Indiana online sales tax can take effect after SCOTUS ruling

By putting an end to the bright line rule allowing the collection of sales tax only from companies with a physical presence in a state, the United States Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, et al. created a new task for states: setting a threshold that online retailers must meet before a sales tax can be imposed. In Indiana, that task is already complete thanks to a 2017 law intentionally passed to spur SCOTUS action.

Read More

Supreme Court to take up iPhone app lawsuit

The U.S. Supreme Court will consider whether the purchasers of iPhone apps can sue Apple over allegations it has an illegal monopoly on the sale of the apps. The court said Monday it will take a case from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled in January that the purchasers of iPhone apps could sue Apple.

Read More

E-filing for Jay County now available, mandatory August 6

Electronic filing is now available in more than 40 civil and criminal case types in the Jay Circuit and Superior courts. By August 6, E-filing will be mandatory for attorneys in these courts for all subsequent and initial filings in case types that allow it.

Read More
interim-053018-450bp.jpg

Changing times: Fewer call for laws on the books

With the Indiana Code accessible and searchable online, fewer and fewer volumes of the printed versions are being produced each year, and DVDs once supplied to county clerks around the state to update their statute records have gone the way of the floppy disc.

Read More