Chief Justice Brent E. Dickson presented the status of the courts in his 2014 State of the Judiciary speech delivered to a Joint Session of the Indiana General Assembly. He thanked the members of the Legislative and Executive branches for their cooperation and partnership in many areas of mutual concern and recognized the achievements of members of the judicial branch. Highlights of the speech follow, but we invite … [Read more...] about 2014 State of the Judiciary
Features
Facilitation: A Win-Win for Courts and Unrepresented Litigants
More and more litigants in family law cases are appearing in Indiana’s courts without the assistance of lawyers. Whether this phenomenon is due to economic reasons, the proliferation of self-service information on the Internet, or other factors, the fact remains that these unrepresented litigants need assistance in completing pleading, filing them, preparing for court hearings, and understanding the court p … [Read more...] about Facilitation: A Win-Win for Courts and Unrepresented Litigants
Court Reform Grant Recipients
Over the last several years, state trial courts throughout the country have faced the dual problems of fluctuating caseloads and declining court funding. Indiana’s trial courts have risen to this challenge to do more with less, and have frequently looked for innovative ways by which to fill their budget gaps. One of these ways is through Indiana’s Court Reform Grant program, funded through federal reimbursements for … [Read more...] about Court Reform Grant Recipients
EPICS: Effective Practices in Community Supervision
When a person is placed on probation, there is an opportunity to enhance public safety by helping change the probationer’s behavior so that he does not commit more crimes. All too often, we miss that opportunity. Sometimes our failure is due to a lack of knowledge about how to affect change. Sometimes it is missed due to a belief that criminal thinking cannot be changed. Through research, we now know what works a … [Read more...] about EPICS: Effective Practices in Community Supervision
Press Examine Court Reports
With 1.6 million new cases filed in Indiana trial courts and the launch of a new website that allows court statistics to be compared, there was plenty to talk about at a recent press conference. Statewide media gathered in the Supreme Court Law Library on November 4th to review several reports released by the Supreme Court. The 2012 Judicial Service Report, Probation Report, the Supreme Court Annual Report, and a new … [Read more...] about Press Examine Court Reports