Jury returns guilty verdicts in Land Bank case
A federal jury on Wednesday evening returned guilty verdicts on eight felony counts including wire fraud and bribery against Reggie Walton, a former city employee who managed the Indy Land Bank.
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City still crunching numbers on justice center savings
Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard’s deputies are finally revealing the numbers behind the promise that Marion County can build a $1.7 billion criminal justice center without a tax increase. And they are a work in progress.
Court costs could increase to pay for more technology
Court fees to pay for new technology would rise at least 80 percent if legislation passed by the Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee on Wednesday becomes law.
Rush proposes biz court, makes pitch for e-filing funding
In her first State of Judiciary speech, Indiana Chief Justice Loretta Rush on Wednesday said the judiciary is “currently working on the development of a business court model focused on complex commercial litigation.
Fishers fraudster receives 2-year prison sentence
Hrond Arman Gasparian, 69, was convicted of 10 counts of wire fraud in schemes that included stealing $400,000 from an Indianapolis church.
Muncie judge faces state disciplinary charges
The state commission that oversees judicial conduct has filed 13 disciplinary charges against a Muncie City Court judge, including abuse of judicial power, repeated violations of statutes and court rules, and injudicious public conduct.
High court: No pay for Amazon warehouse security checks
The unanimous ruling Tuesday is a victory for the growing number of retailers and other companies that routinely screen workers to prevent employee theft.
Local courts to lose a century of bench depth
Dozens of judges around the state are calling it a career at the end of the year, including five jurists from Marion County courts with more than a century of combined experience.
Ohio high court to hear ‘jock tax’ case brought by ex-Colt
In a case involving retired Indianapolis Colts center Jeff Saturday, the Ohio Supreme Court says it will hear arguments for and against Cleveland's so-called "jock tax" early next year.
Legislators in no rush to fix local judge selection process
Marion County’s unique power-sharing judicial-election system won’t be fixed anytime soon, even though a federal judge has ruled the four-decade-old system is unconstitutional.
Justice center deal tests transparency laws
Three teams competing to partner with Indianapolis on a half-billion-dollar criminal justice complex shaped the city’s yet-to-be released specifications in closed-door meetings.
Local financial adviser sentenced to 10 years
Kevin James, charged in April with securities fraud, mail fraud and money laundering, also was ordered to pay more than $1.3 million in restitution by Judge Sarah Evans Barker.
Marion County judicial election system ruled unconstitutional
A federal judge in Indianapolis has ruled that the statute outlining how Marion Superior judges are elected is unconstitutional. Because a stay has been issued, the ruling will not impact next month’s election.
Supreme Court rejects appeal from Indiana on gay marriage
Justices turned away appeals from five states including Indiana seeking to prohibit same-sex marriage. The court’s order immediately ends delays on such marriages in those states but leaves the Constitutional question hanging.
What if high court rejects gay marriage cases?
Almost everyone is calling for the Supreme Court to step in and make a decision on gay marriage, but not getting involved is a possibility. The issue was on the agenda when the justices met in private Monday to decide new cases to hear this term.
State’s way of paying public defenders debated
The state pays the salaries of its judges and prosecutors, but public defenders are paid by counties that are only partially reimbursed for their costs—an approach that some including the executive director of the Indiana Public Defender Council want to see changed.
Indiana appeals marriage ruling to U.S. Supreme Court
Attorney General Greg Zoeller filed an appeal on Tuesday, asking the justices to overturn last week’s 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that declared Indiana’s marriage law unconstitutional.
Obamacare tax rule that split appeals courts gets rehearing
The full U.S. Court of Appeals will rehear a case on Obamacare tax subsidies, granting a government request in a move that may reduce chances of a new Supreme Court showdown over a central part of the law.
UPDATE: Court rules against gay marriage bans in Indiana, Wisconsin
The unanimous decision from an U.S. appeals court in Chicago found the bans were unconstitutional. The states could ask for a re-hearing at the appeals court or could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Purdue still wants ex-chancellor report kept secret
Purdue University is continuing efforts to keep secret a report about the ouster of the Fort Wayne campus chancellor, even though federal and state judges have ruled it isn't protected by attorney-client privilege.