Court rules Marion County judicial elections unconstitutional
The federal ruling throws out a 40-year-old system that ensured an even split of Democratic and Republican judges and facilitated a pay-to-play party slating system.
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Cold beer getting warm as court weighs state’s alcohol laws
Judges heard arguments in January in a lawsuit challenging the state’s prohibition against convenience stores selling cold beer. Waiting seven months for a decision is not unusual.
Altice selected to succeed Friedlander on Court of Appeals
Marion Superior Judge Robert R. Altice Jr. is a 14-year veteran presiding in the Indianapolis courts with experience on the civil and criminal bench.
Court upholds $5M cap on state fair stage-collapse case
Indiana won’t have to pay any more damages from the 2011 deadly Indiana State Fair stage collapse under a decision by the state Supreme Court.
Suing wrong man over Indy skyline photo costs lawyer $34K
A judge in the copyright infringement case rules for defendant who “took a stand against a plaintiff who was using his knowledge and status as a practicing attorney to file meritless suits.”
Durham may see little payoff from dismissal of two counts
When Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson sentenced Durham to 50 years in 2012, she said there was no point to handing down a sentence that was a multiple of his likely life span.
Eight applicants seek vacancy on Indiana Court of Appeals
Applicants seeking the soon-to-be-open seat seat include Marion Superior Court Judges Robert Altice and Gary Miller. Several Indianapolis attorneys also are interested.
Local dispute-resolution program sees growing caseload
In nearly a decade, the Johnson County's court-mediation program, also called the alternative dispute-resolution program, has doubled its number of cases. Last year, the program took on nearly 700 cases
Judge dismisses Panther Racing suit against Rahal, IndyCar
The local racing team claimed it lost a $13.1 million sponsorship with the Army National Guard because of bid-rigging and other improprieties. A federal judge disagreed.
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.
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.
Judge considering $75M NCAA concussion settlement
The deal calls for the Indianapolis-based NCAA to toughen return-to-play rules for college athletes. It also would create a medical fund to test current and former athletes for brain trauma.
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.
U.S. high court: Who best judges fair competition?
The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear a case over whether U.S. states can delegate the regulation of professions such as dentistry, plumbing, cosmetology and more to boards of practitioners drawn from those occupations.
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.
Gay marriage backers want high court to step in
Opponents and supporters of same-sex marriages alike are trying to persuade the Supreme Court to take up Indiana's case to decide once and for all whether gay marriage should be legal in all 50 states. The court will consider their requests and others Sept. 29.