Trump’s impact on courts likely to last long beyond his term
On this, even President Donald Trump’s most fevered critics agree: He has left a deep imprint on the federal courts that will outlast his one term in office for decades to come.
U.S. Senate
Articles
Indy firm behind Trump Wisconsin election challenge weighs SCOTUS bid
With little more than a week before a joint session of Congress will formally count votes of the Electoral College that President-elect Joe Biden won by a 306-232 margin, President Donald Trump continues to bend the ear of an Indianapolis attorney who unsuccessfully argued to overturn Wisconsin’s election results.
Trump threatens to torpedo COVID relief with new demands
President Donald Trump late Tuesday threatened to torpedo Congress’ massive COVID-19 relief package in the midst of a raging pandemic and deep economic uncertainty, suddenly demanding changes fellow Republicans have opposed.
Year in Review: COVID aside, Barrett’s ascent to SCOTUS tops year’s biggest legal news stories
COVID may have seemed like the only thing that happened in 2020, but for Indiana’s legal community, the past year brought watershed developments that will be with us for years to come, many of which were touched directly by the pandemic. Here are the Top 10 non-coronavirus Indiana legal news stories as determined by consensus of the Indiana Lawyer editorial staff.
$900B COVID relief bill passed by Congress, sent to Trump
Congress passed a $900 billion pandemic relief package that would finally deliver long-sought cash to businesses and individuals and resources to vaccinate a nation confronting a frightening surge in COVID-19 cases and deaths.
Congress seals agreement on $900 billion COVID relief bill
Top Capitol Hill negotiators sealed a deal Sunday on a $900 billion COVID-19 economic relief package, finally delivering long-overdue help to businesses and individuals and providing money to deliver vaccines to a nation eager for them.
Bell named acting US attorney for Northern District
Gary T. Bell has been named the acting United States attorney for the Northern District of Indiana following the confirmation of former Northern District Attorney Thomas L. Kirsch to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Pence, wife Karen, surgeon general get COVID-19 vaccines
Vice President Mike Pence was vaccinated for COVID-19 on Friday in a live-television event aimed at reassuring Americans the vaccine is safe. He celebrated the shot as “a medical miracle” that could eventually contain the raging coronavirus pandemic.
Senate hearing elevates baseless claims of election fraud
Republican senators on Wednesday further perpetuated President Donald Trump’s baseless claims of widespread voter fraud, two days after Democrat Joe Biden’s victory was sealed by the Electoral College.
Kirsch confirmed to 7th Circuit
Thomas Kirsch II has been confirmed to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals on a 51-44 vote in the U.S. Senate. Kirsch succeeds Amy Coney Barrett after her confirmation to the United States Supreme Court.
Trump says Barr resigning, will leave before Christmas
Attorney General William Barr, one of President Donald Trump’s staunchest allies, is departing amid lingering tension over the president’s claims of election fraud and the investigation into President-elect Joe Biden’s son.
Senate prepares to vote on Kirsch nomination to 7th Circuit
Thomas Kirsch, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Indiana, will likely get one step closer to joining the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals today with the U.S. Senate scheduled to vote on the cloture motion for his nomination at 5:30 p.m.
Kirsch nomination to succeed Barrett on 7th Circuit moves to full Senate
The nomination of Hoosier Thomas Kirsch II to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals was approved Thursday by the Judiciary Committee and will be sent to the U.S. Senate for a confirmation vote.
Judging future jurists: Kirsch grilled in 7th Circuit bid while diversity calls grow and Flaum takes senior status
With two vacancies now on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, President Donald Trump’s nominee for an Indiana seat faced tough questioning on Capitol Hill while bar and civil rights groups called for change on the Chicago-based court, the only all-white federal appeals bench in the nation.
Safe harbor law locks Congress into accepting Biden’s win
Other than Wisconsin, every state appears to have met a deadline in federal law that essentially means Congress has to accept the electoral votes that will be cast next week and sent to the Capitol for counting on Jan. 6. Those votes will elect Joe Biden as the country’s next president.
Virus talks drag on liability as Congress preps stopgap aid
Lawmakers are giving themselves more time to sort through their end-of-session business on government spending and COVID-19 relief, preparing a one-week stopgap spending bill that would prevent a shutdown this weekend.
Senate Committee holds Kirsch’s nomination to succeed Barrett
The Senate Judiciary Committee held consideration of Thomas Kirsch’s nomination until its Dec. 10 meeting, putting the U.S. Attorney for the Northern Indiana District’s confirmation to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in a tight race against the clock.
Indy lawyer, firm file Trump suit seeking to overturn Wisconsin vote
A high-profile Indianapolis attorney and law firm is representing President Donald Trump in the latest lawsuit seeking to overturn the results of last month’s presidential election in Wisconsin, one of several decisive states narrowly won by President-elect Joe Biden.
7th Circuit gets another vacancy as Flaum takes senior status
Judge Joel Flaum of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals took senior status Monday, creating another vacancy on the appellate court that has welcomed four new judges and is preparing for a fifth since Donald Trump became president in 2017. Flaum has served on the federal appellate bench for 37 years.
Minority groups highlight need for diversity on all-white 7th Circuit
The lack of diversity on the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals – which would remain unchanged if nominee Thomas Kirsch II is confirmed to fill the current vacancy – is prompting minority groups to speak out and call upon elected officials and the judiciary to appoint judges from different racial and ethnic backgrounds.