National bankruptcy filings fall despite COVID-19 impact
Personal and business bankruptcy filings posted a decline in the year ending June 30, despite a sharp rise in national unemployment stemming from the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
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Suit: Election Day deadline to receive mailed ballots disenfranchises voters
Indiana law that says mail-in ballots must be received by noon on Election Day will disenfranchise voters and should be blocked, a federal lawsuit filed Thursday says.
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.
Kokomo men sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking ring involvement
Two Indiana men will spend decades in federal prison after being sentenced for their role in a large drug trafficking ring operating in Kokomo, United States Attorney Josh Minkler announced Friday.
Indianapolis man gets 11-plus years in federal prison for leading fraud scheme
Indianapolis man Frank “Bread” Powell has been sentenced to more than 11 years in federal prison for leading a large-scale fraud ring that bilked Kroger and other retailers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Southern District hosts first naturalization ceremony since March
Nearly 90 people took an oath to become an American citizen on Thursday morning, becoming the first group to participate in a naturalization ceremony hosted by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Mom wins federal ruling against Carmel schools in son’s special education case
A Carmel mother is celebrating a federal court ruling that concluding that the public school district had denied her son a free and appropriate education since January 2018 and May 2018, in part by failing to ensure he received his special education and related services. The family attorney says the case sets precedent for parents whose special-needs children rely on individual education plans.
US executes 3 in first federal death sentences since 2003
The federal government last week carried out its first executions in almost two decades after the US Supreme Court in separate 5-4 rulings turned away last-minute appeals from two condemned inmates’ legal teams. Their executions, and that of a third defendant, were carried out by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute.
7th Circuit snuffs out injunction on state smokable hemp law
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
Maley: Pro bono appointments are necessary obligation for justice
I’m still processing the news that this morning my court-appointed death-row client, Wesley Purkey, was executed. I was his pro bono counsel on three civil-rights/conditions of confinement claims in the Southern District of Indiana. So as I wrestle now — and hopefully for some time — with the legal and moral aspects of capital punishment that otherwise have been remote, it seems appropriate and timely to discuss the needs and opportunities for pro bono service in civil cases in our local federal courts. Both are robust.
Split COA affirms for Hamilton Co. Convention Center owner in defamation case
Judgment for the Hamilton County Convention Center’s owner was upheld by a divided appeals panel Thursday in a former employee’s defamation suit. It’s the latest chapter in a long-running litigation saga involving cross-claims of unpaid wages and employee theft.
Insurers sue Indianapolis Archdiocese over sexual misconduct policy
Insurance underwriters have sued the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Indianapolis, claiming it failed to disclose allegations against a suspended priest on its application for a sexual misconduct liability policy.
Court awards habeas relief in Elkhart murder case for ineffective trial, PCR counsel
A man convicted as a teenager of an Elkhart murder has been granted habeas relief after a federal judge determined both his trial and post-conviction counsel were ineffective.
Faegre Drinker aids 3M in ending $14.25 billion N95 respirator price-gouging scheme
A federal case in Indiana seeking to end a fraudulent N95 price-gouging scheme involving the promise of billions of nonexistent respirators has been resolved in federal court with the help of several Hoosier attorneys from one of the state’s largest law firms.
Court strikes Indiana ‘abortion complications’ reporting law
A federal judge has struck down another Indiana abortion law as unconstitutional, continuing a years-long streak of court action against Hoosier abortion legislation. However, the state also secured a victory when the same judge upheld a requirement that abortion clinics be inspected annually.
7th Circuit: Caseworker didn’t retaliate against prisoner
An Indiana prisoner whose discipline conviction was overturned for lack of evidence did not persuade the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that his case manager later retaliated against him for activity protected by the First Amendment.
7th Circuit affirms drug conspiracy conviction
A man convicted in a drug conspiracy could not convince the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals that he pleaded guilty to a lesser amount than what the government indicted him for.
Southern Indiana District included in request for more judges
The Judicial Conference of the United States is again pleading with Congress to add 65 new judgeships in 24 district courts across the country, including two permanent new judges in the Southern Indiana District Court.
7th Circuit temporarily stays federal execution set for next week
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has temporarily stayed an execution scheduled for next week after finding that two issues raised by a Terre Haute inmate were “worthy of further exploration.” Wesley Ira Purkey’s execution was scheduled for July 15, but now it will be stayed “pending the completion of proceedings in the Seventh Circuit.”
SCOTUS denies cert petition against South Bend abortion clinic
U.S. Supreme Court justices rejected a third Indiana abortion case on Thursday, refusing to hear a petition filed against an embattled South Bend abortion clinic that was permitted by a federal judge to open last summer.