Indiana

7th Circuit explains how acquitted murder defendant can still be punished by sentencing judge

Acquitted by a jury in the fatal shooting of a rival Latin Kings gang member, Martin Anaya nonetheless was blamed for the murder by the federal district judge who oversaw his Indiana racketeering and drug conspiracy case. As a result, Anaya had his sentence enhanced to two concurrent 30-year terms.…

Oct 8, 2014 3:20 PM CDT

Judge complains about smelly appeals documents; can the culprit be sniffed out?

An Indiana appeals judge smells something amiss in an appeal of a prostitution conviction. In footnote 1 in a Sept. 30 opinion (PDF), Judge Edward Najam Jr. has a complaint about the transcript: It “emits an unpleasant odor” of smoke. The Indiana Law Blog noted the footnote and the Indianapolis…

Oct 8, 2014 7:00 AM CDT

During traffic stop, state trooper asked driver if she accepted Jesus, ACLU suit claims

An Indiana state trooper gave a woman a warning ticket and then a religious brochure after he pulled her over for a traffic stop, according to a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana. The suit filed on behalf of the driver, Ellen Bogan, says the trooper’s…

Oct 7, 2014 5:45 AM CDT

Inspired by man who filed more than 120 lawsuits, Indiana Supreme Court sets pro se limits

Pro se parties must “play by the rules,” and courts can place reasonable limits on filings by an “abusive litigant,” the Indiana Supreme Court wrote Tuesday in an opinion involving a man who has filed more than 120 lawsuits over the past six years. The court did not impose sanctions…

Oct 1, 2014 3:20 PM CDT

Judge axed evidence when cops took Fifth in lawyer-client eavesdropping; will she dismiss 2nd case?

For the second time this year, an Indiana judge will have to decide whether to eviscerate evidence in a slaying case due to claimed inadvertent eavesdropping by police in LaPorte County. Currently before Judge Kathleen Lang is a motion by lawyers representing John Larkin to dismiss a voluntary manslaughter case…

Sep 26, 2014 10:08 AM CDT

Lawyer faces drunken-driving case and contempt hearing after allegedly coming to court intoxicated

A longtime Indiana lawyer who allegedly admitted to police that he drank “about a pint” of vodka within hours of a Monday court hearing is now dealing with a double whammy. In addition to criminal charges in including operating a vehicle while intoxicated, Joseph Robertson II is also facing a…

Sep 12, 2014 5:00 PM CDT

Parents make bullying claim over mug shot T-shirt of teen worn to high school soccer game

When Kevin Rittenhouse’s teenage son was caught using marijuana with friends last year, his dad tried to do the right thing and turned the teen, a member of the soccer team at his Indiana high school, in to police. “Authorities confiscated his phone and that’s how they came up with…

Sep 11, 2014 12:30 PM CDT

With ‘eye-popping speed,’ 7th Circuit strikes 2 states’ same-sex marriage bans 9 days after argument

Acting with what USA Today describes as “eye-popping speed,” a Chicago-based federal appeals court on Thursday struck same-sex marriage bans in two states only nine days after hearing oral arguments. Joining with federal appeals courts that have declared bans on same-sex marriage in Oklahoma, Utah and Virginia to be unconstitutional…

Sep 4, 2014 4:30 PM CDT

Judge orders lawyer to put on socks

Told by an Indiana judge that a local court rule requires lawyers to wear socks, Todd Glickfield resisted. “I hate socks,” he told Blackford Circuit Judge Dean Young, who at first saw to it that the attorney was privately advised during a break about the need to don the footwear.…

Sep 3, 2014 1:40 PM CDT

Judge nixes convicted murderer’s request for death penalty

Sentenced to 95 years for shooting a man outside an Indiana bar, including a 30-year enhancement for being a habitual offender, Walter Leach has asked for the death penalty. But an La Porte Circuit Court judge turned down the 61-year-old’s request, saying that Leach hasn’t exhausted his administrative avenues for…

Aug 27, 2014 7:55 PM CDT

Downey Jr. and Duvall star in ‘The Judge,’ acclaimed new movie that will headline film festival

Last year, the award-winning sci-fi flick Gravity was premiered by Warner Bros. at the Toronto International Film Festival. This year it’s the studio’s new film The Judge that will not only be introduced to audiences there but headline the festival when it opens on Sept. 4, Variety reports. The movie,…

Aug 4, 2014 5:55 PM CDT

Secular humanists must be allowed to officiate marriages in Indiana, 7th Circuit says

A federal appeals court has struck down an Indiana law that allows clergy of religious groups to solemnize marriages, but not officials from groups of secular humanists. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Monday that the law violated the equal protection clause and the First Amendment. Judge…

Jul 15, 2014 2:56 PM CDT

10th Circuit rules Utah gay-marriage ban is unconstitutional

A divided federal appeals court panel in Denver on Wednesday upheld a decision by a federal judge in Utah that a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment. “Courts do not sit in judgment of the hearts and minds of the citizenry,” said the Denver-based 10th…

Jun 25, 2014 5:45 PM CDT

Blogging lawyer gets 30-day suspension for criticizing judge for ‘malfeasance’

Recommended for a one-year law license suspension for criticizing a judge, an Indiana lawyer known for his political blog was pleased to hear this week that the state’s top court had suspended him for only 30 days. “I won on 80 percent of it, so I’m 80 percent happy,” Ogden…

Jun 19, 2014 10:25 PM CDT

Police departments in Indiana snap up armored military vehicles at bargain prices

The bargain was too good to pass up. The sheriff’s office in Johnson County, Indiana, paid just a fraction of the original $733,000 price when it purchased a 55,000 pound, six-wheel, heavy-armored vehicle, the Indianapolis Star reports. Sheriff Doug Cox estimates the department paid about $5,000 to buy the vehicle…

Jun 11, 2014 11:00 AM CDT