Editor’s Note: The following editorial was published by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and reprinted here with permission from the NCSC, the Conference of Chief Justices (CCJ) and the Conference of State Court Administrators (COSCA). Williamsburg, VA (May 22, 2014) — National Public Radio’s series “Guilty and Charged,” on the harmful impact that court fees and fines can have on the poor, shines considera … [Read more...] about EDITORIAL: Conference of Chief Justices and Conference of State Court Administrators respond to “Guilty and Charged”
Features
Sealing Court Records: The How and the Why (Not)
Some cases are embarrassing for the parties involved—with free, easy public access to many court records via the Internet, some people rue the day they ever decided to go to the courthouse and file a case. For a variety of reasons, the parties would rather their employers, in-laws, landlords, or bank loan officers were oblivious to their legal history. Because of this, trial courts sometimes find themselves presented … [Read more...] about Sealing Court Records: The How and the Why (Not)
2014 Legislative Review
Editor’s Note: This report is a condensed version of the full report prepared by the Indiana Judicial Center (IJC) and only contains highlights of selected bills. The IJC legislative report that contains summaries of all bills of interest passed in the 2014 session can be can be found at: http://indianacourts.us/blogs/legislative. The entire text of any law, as well as any other legislative action, is available at: h … [Read more...] about 2014 Legislative Review
Designating Criminal Cases after July 1, 2014
New case types are coming when the Criminal Code Revision Act (H.E.A.1006) becomes effective on July 1, 2014 and the court reporting forms have been modified to accommodate the changes. You can preview the new QCSR form at: http://www.in.gov/judiciary/admin/files/courtmgmt-frm-court-2014-qcsr.pdf On April 23, 2014, the Court approved the following case types to be used for felonies committed on or after July 1, … [Read more...] about Designating Criminal Cases after July 1, 2014
Improved but not perfect: Marion County Small Claims Courts two years later
In May 2012, the Marion County Small Claims Courts Task Force (“Task Force”) issued a report describing serious problems in the management and procedures of the county’s nine small claims courts. This report recommended a number of reform efforts—some of which could be accomplished by local court rule, and others which required legislative action. Before this report was issued, the Marion County Circuit Court created … [Read more...] about Improved but not perfect: Marion County Small Claims Courts two years later