Federal judge blocks law banning abortions based on fetal abnormalities

A federal judge in Indianapolis has blocked an Indiana abortion law that banned abortions based on genetic abnormalities of the fetus. U.S. District Judge Tanya Walton Pratt issued a preliminary injunction on Thursday, report the Associated Press, the Indianapolis Star and the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. The law bars abortions…

Jun 30, 2016 2:49 PM CDT

7th Circuit: Judge should have appointed lawyer for mentally ill woman who missed appeal deadline

A federal appeals court on Wednesday revived the untimely appeal of an imprisoned Indiana woman convicted of murdering her boyfriend in 2001. Anastazia Schmid was found guilty but mentally ill, which removed capital punishment as a possibility in her sentencing. Because Schmid was determined to be mentally ill, a federal…

Jun 8, 2016 2:50 PM CDT

Man upset about eviction faces new charges over bomb blasts outside judge’s home and police station

Already facing state charges in Indiana over pipe bomb blasts outside a police station and a judge’s home within a two-week period in March, David Theiring was also federally indicted on Thursday. The 37-year-old is federally charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device and possession of a firearm by…

Jun 1, 2016 1:50 PM CDT

Indiana law partnership closes after 100 years

After nearly 100 years in business, an Indiana law firm closed its doors last month after a partner exodus. It began in December, when three partners left Campbell Kyle Proffitt to form Cate Terry & Gookins. “That shook the ground for us, but we were still going to survive,” former…

May 31, 2016 11:00 AM CDT

Documentary featuring undercover prisoners leads to firings for alleged excessive force, negligence

Five corrections officers in Jeffersonville, Indiana, have been fired following revelations in a documentary series featuring seven people who went undercover as jail inmates. Clark County, Indiana, Sheriff Jamey Noel tells the Louisville Courier-Journal that some of the officers had to be fired for excessive force and negligence in their…

May 24, 2016 9:33 AM CDT

Lawyer victorious in contesting parking-ticket late fee all the way to the state’s appeals court

A lawyer contesting a parking ticket that cost him $150 in late fees took it to the state’s second-highest court, the Court of Appeals of Indiana, and achieved an unprecedented victory, the Indiana Lawyer reported. James Gilday didn’t get everything he wanted, which included $2,500 in damages and fees from…

May 5, 2016 2:30 PM CDT

No need for blanket ban on testimony by cops who took Fifth in attorney-client eavesdrop, court says

There is no need for a blanket ban on testimony by police officers accused of secretly listening to a conversation between a murder suspect and his lawyer, the Indiana Supreme Court has ruled. The officers, who cited the Fifth Amendment when questioned about the eavesdropping, may testify at the defendant’s…

Apr 4, 2016 5:45 AM CDT

Pro se plaintiff awarded $203K in mixed jury verdict in employment discrimination case

Brian Vukadinovich says a number of lawyers were interested in representing him in an age-discrimination and retaliation case against his former employer. But the Indiana teacher and former law firm employee has long had an interest in legal matters and wanted to represent himself at the weeklong trial of his…

Mar 29, 2016 4:45 PM CDT

Bankruptcy lawyer suspended for ‘screwing banks’ ads

Updated: An Indiana bankruptcy lawyer has been suspended for 30 days for ads that said he has been “screwing banks since 1992.” The Indiana Supreme Court suspended the lawyer, Brent Welke of Indianapolis, in a Jan. 7 order (PDF) noted by the Legal Profession Blog. Welke agreed to remove the…

Jan 13, 2016 6:15 AM CST

Duty to report cases of child abuse involving clients is not absolute, says state ethics opinion

Jan 1, 2016 2:40 AM CST

Drug defendant’s turnaround a ‘Christmas present’ for judge, who gives him a hug

Despite two drug-possession cases in the last few years, Jermal Lee Norris had some good news to report on Thursday at an Indiana court hearing. He had qualified for a commercial driver’s license, which landed him a couple of jobs, he told Lake Superior Court Judge Diane Ross Boswell, showing…

Dec 10, 2015 3:45 PM CST

New courthouse nativity display puts founding fathers, Lady Liberty next to Bill of Rights in manger

A longstanding tradition of having a nativity scene outside an Indiana courthouse will expand significantly this holiday season. New displays at the Franklin County courthouse in Brookville, in addition to the traditional portrayal of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a manger, will include one by the Freedom from Religion…

Nov 24, 2015 12:00 PM CST

Indiana’s refusal to accept Syrian refugees violates Constitution, ACLU suit says

Republican Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana violated the U.S. Constitution and federal law when he ordered state agencies to suspend the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the state, according to a federal lawsuit filed on Monday. The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and attorneys from the national ACLU sued…

Nov 24, 2015 9:29 AM CST

Lawyer who criticized judge’s ‘stubbornly injudicious attitude’ is suspended

A lawyer in Merrillville, Indiana, has been suspended for criticizing a judge’s “stubbornly injudicious attitude” and allegedly threatening opposing counsel with a disciplinary complaint unless there was an agreement to change venue. The lawyer, Michael Halpin, made an unsuccessful run for town judge in 2011, NWI.com reports. In an order…

Nov 16, 2015 5:45 AM CST

Annual holiday season battle begins over nativity scenes

With the holiday season fast approaching, government officials are girding their loins for the annual battle over what displays will be permitted on public property. Commissioners in Tippecanoe County, Indiana, showed little enthusiasm on Monday for entering the fray, in an interview with WLFI. The station asked County Commissioners President…

Nov 5, 2015 12:10 PM CST