Southern District to adopt rule amendments Dec. 1
Proposed changes to local rules of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana have been approved and will go into effect next month.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Articles
Late Judge McKinney honored in anniversary celebration
In honor of the 10th anniversary of its federal courthouse in Terre Haute, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana has hung the portrait of the man who was key to getting the judicial outpost built and who devoted great effort to helping former federal inmates re-enter society: the late Judge Larry J. McKinney.
Federal judges share experiences of judicial nomination, appointments
Several judges spoke candidly about their personal judicial nomination experiences on Friday in honor of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana’s 12th annual court history and continuing legal education symposium.
Fraudster Durham wins hearing on whether lawyer’s $1M fee created conflict
Fair Finance fraud felon Tim Durham will get a chance to grill his former trial attorney over whether his $1 million wire fraud defense representation fee created a conflict of interest between money the lawyer could pocket versus paying for witnesses Durham claims could have testified in his favor. A federal judge recently granted a new hearing on that and other grounds as Durham seeks to chisel away at his 50-year prison sentence.
Prosecutions fizzle in ‘pill mill’ case but suits proceed
Physicians and staff who were arrested and charged after Indiana and federal law enforcement officials claimed their medical practice was a pill mill are headed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals as they push forward with a civil lawsuit claiming their prosecution was built on allegations the government knew were false.
Fired INDOT employee loses appeal claiming political firing
A former Indiana Department of Transportation supervisor who claimed his firing was motivated in part by his defense of a Democratic employee and a letter to the editor that the supervisor’s mother wrote criticizing former Gov. Mike Pence’s immigration policies failed to prove he was discriminated against, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.
Southern District posts rule amendments effective Dec. 1
Numerous minor rule changes effective Dec. 1 have been made available by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. The rule changes deal with appearances and substitution of counsel, continuances in criminal cases, grand jury processes and other matters.
Civil rights activist discusses Brown v. Board predecessor for Hispanic Heritage month
When 8-year-old Sylvia Mendez tried to register for an all-white school in California in the 1940s, she was denied admission because of her Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage. Mendez, now a civil rights activist, shared her story and the lawsuit that changed her life during a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Oct. 11.
Federal agents shut down Indianapolis gun dealer, seize more than 300 firearms
ATF and local law enforcement agents shut down an Indianapolis gun dealer accused of being operated by a felon banned from possessing or selling firearms. Authorities seized about 390 firearms Tuesday after the dealer’s operator was previously charged with violating federal firearms law.
Southern District clerk Briggs to step down next year
Longtime clerk Laura Briggs of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana will retire from her post in mid-2020. “I have loved it,” Briggs said Monday about her 21-year tenure as clerk, a post from which she expects to retire in May or June.
Jasper homebuilder sued in copyright case wins $518K in attorney fees
A Jasper homebuilder that was sued by a company that has sued more than 100 defendants, including dozens of Indiana homebuilders, has been awarded more than $518,000 in attorney fees after a judge previously cleared the Jasper company of home design copyright infringement.
Desegregation advocate to mark Hispanic Heritage Month
A woman who fought to desegregate California public schools when she was 9 years old will discuss the lawsuit that altered the course of her life next week during a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration hosted by the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana and the Indiana State Bar Association’s Latino Affairs Committee.
Federal judge tosses conviction in IU student’s murder for ineffective counsel
The man convicted in the May 2000 murder of Indiana University student Jill Behrman has been ordered released from prison after a federal judge granted him habeas relief. In reaching that decision, the Southern Indiana District Court determined the Indiana Court of Appeals improperly evaluated the defendant’s allegations of prejudice.
Federal judge denies motion to dismiss suit against Jackson Co. nativity scene
A southern Indiana woman accusing her local government of endorsing Christianity has cleared the first hurdle of a motion to dismiss her claim that a nativity scene placed on the Jackson County Courthouse’s front lawn violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause.
COA affirms dismissal of mom’s false arrest claims
The Indiana Court of Appeals has affirmed the dismissal of a mother’s complaint against a deputy chief of police, which alleged he created a false affidavit for her arrest after she allegedly touched her child in an “abusive” manner.
History of judicial confirmation process to be featured at federal court symposium
The Southern Indiana District Court will be providing some perspective on the federal confirmation process as part of its 12th Annual Court History and Continuing Legal Education Symposium.
AG Hill asks full 7th Circuit to review blocked abortion consent law
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office has asked the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals for en banc review to reconsider a challenge to an Indiana law requiring parents be notified before their mature minor child gets an abortion.
Judge rebuffs bid for class of all 91 Indiana prosecutors in abortion clinic case
An out-of-state abortion provider who was granted permission to open a South Bend clinic last month after the state denied a permit lost its bid Tuesday to certify a defendant class made up of every elected prosecuting attorney in Indiana.
Lawyer: Jury verdict should end Indianapolis skyline photo lawsuits
A federal jury in Indianapolis ruled against an attorney photographer Tuesday who has sued hundreds of people for using his online photo of the city’s sunny skyline. The verdict raised dark clouds over the presumption that the lawyer owns a legitimate, enforceable copyright of the photo.
Proper forum for dispute is tax court, not bankruptcy
A federal appellate panel has answered questions as to whether a bankruptcy court can determine the amount of a debtor’s tax obligations when the debtor is unlikely to pay them. Although a U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana answered yes to that question, a district judge disagreed.