Judge finds Vigo County Jail conditions unconstitutional
A federal judge has ruled conditions are unconstitutional at the overcrowded Vigo County Jail in Terre Haute.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
Articles
Sweeney takes oath of office as Southern District judge
Judge James R. Sweeney II of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana was sworn into office at 11 a.m. Monday as the Southern District’s newest judge since 2010.
Muncie official, businessman indicted on fraud charges
Federal prosecutors say a Muncie city official and a Muncie businessman have been indicted on fraud-related charges connected to an FBI investigation of the city’s Sanitary District.
Ex-VA police officer gets prison for patient’s rough arrest
A former Veterans Affairs police officer who authorities say repeatedly struck a patient outside a VA hospital in Indianapolis has been sentenced to a year in prison.
Company ordered to pay $31.9M to SEC for biofuel fraud
Evansville-based Imperial Petroleum Inc. has been ordered to pay nearly $32 million to the Securities and Exchange Commission after it failed to reply to the SEC’s court filings seeking damages in a biofuels fraud case that resulted in prison time for the former company president.
Ruling: DOC violating rights of inmates with hepatitis
The Indiana Department of Correction’s failure to provide inmates with recommended hepatitis C treatment violates their constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, a federal judge ruled Thursday in a groundbreaking order.
Federal court dismisses suit challenging Charter School Act
A First Amendment lawsuit alleging Indiana’s Charter School Acts violates certain religious protections will no longer proceed after a district court judge found the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the Establishment Clause complaint.
Amish couple sues 2 agencies over photos their faith forbids
An Amish couple with 13 children sued the federal government on Wednesday, accusing officials of violating their constitutional rights by insisting that they provide photographs of themselves before the Canadian wife’s request to become a permanent U.S. resident can be approved.
7th: No evidence supports race discrimination claim by IU professor
Lack of evidence doomed a black professor's argument that he was denied tenure at Indiana University because of his race, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found Tuesday.
Sweeney first judge in 8 years confirmed to Southern District
James Sweeney was confirmed by a voice vote in a rare show of Senate bipartisanship. The next day, a Barnes & Thornburg colleague saw him at work and wondered why he was not taking at least a little time off. Sweeney said he wanted to pull his weight.
Sweeney set to join busy Southern Indiana District Court
With the confirmation of James Sweeney II to the federal bench, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana will be getting a much-needed judge to fill a longstanding vacancy and help handle one of the heaviest dockets in the country.
Judge rejects bid to slash jury’s $15M med-mal award
A jury’s verdict awarding $15 million to a woman and her husband after her cancer was not detected on a CT scan will stand, a federal judge ruled, rejecting defense appeals that included Indiana’s cap on medical malpractice damages.
Sweeney confirmed to Southern District bench
James Sweeney, partner at Barnes & Thornburg, has been confirmed to the Southern Indiana District Court. He was nominated by President Donald Trump in November 2017 to fill a vacancy created when Judge Sarah Evans Barker took senior status.
Indiana consumer bankruptcies fall faster than U.S. average
Personal bankruptcy filings due to consumer debt tumbled in Indiana last year at a much faster pace than an overall national decline, according to federal bankruptcy court data released Monday. Hoosiers filed a combined 7.4 percent fewer petitions for Chapter 7, Chapter 11 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy in 2017.
IndyCar awarded $3.9M for scrubbed Boston races
A race organizer’s failure to bring promised IndyCar Boston Grand Prix Labor Day weekend races to the finish line has resulted in an award of nearly $4 million in damages to the Indianapolis-based open-wheel racing series, but it’s unclear how much IndyCar may be able to recoup from bankrupt promoters.
Former office manager gets nearly 5 years in prison for fraud
A bookkeeper who pleaded guilty to defrauding a small Franklin construction company out of hundreds of thousands of dollars has been sentenced to nearly five years in federal prison.
Hill enduring backlash in voting lawsuits
Even as the office of embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is pleading for more time to challenge a ruling that found changes to the state's voter registration statute violated federal law, it's taking another election dispute to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Prosecutors cite ethics rules to Hill in abortion lawsuit
Three Indiana prosecutors are renewing their calls for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to concede on their behalf the merits of lawsuit that blocked a 2018 abortion law and told the AG's staff in an email that Hill is obligated under the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct to follow their directive as his clients. Hill, however, maintains he is authorized to defend the statute on behalf of his "ultimate client:" the people of Indiana.
Judge lets Marion County inmate suicide suit proceed
A lawsuit claiming the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and one of its deputies violated an inmate’s constitutional rights by leaving him unattended long enough for the inmate to kill himself will continue after a district court judge declined to fully grant summary judgment to the county.
7th Circuit remands mandatory-minimum drug case for resentencing
A “dangerous drug” conviction in Arizona is not considered a felony drug offense qualifying for particular federal mandatory minimum sentencing in Indiana under because of differences in definitions, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals determined.