The U.S. Supreme Court’s acceptance that states have a vital interest in maintaining judicial integrity has stoked some scholars’ hopes that other restrictions on judicial campaign conduct will also pass constitutional muster. Of particular interest are the provisions in many state judicial codes, Indiana included, which prohibit judicial candidates from making “pledges, promises, or commitments that are incon … [Read more...] about Federal Case Review: Pledges and Promises, Solicitations, and Public Endorsement Clauses
Articles
Looking Back at the Last 10 Years of ICLEO
Chief Justice Shepard’s vision for a more diverse Indiana bench and bar opened the door for me to have an experience more valuable than I can articulate. As I celebrate my ten year anniversary as an Indiana Conference for Legal Education Opportunity (ICLEO) Fellow, it is hard to imagine what my law school experience would have been like without it. I came to Indianapolis to be part of the third ICLEO class. For six … [Read more...] about Looking Back at the Last 10 Years of ICLEO
Judges: Selection, Conduct, and the Constitution
How we select our judges has been a hot topic in the last year. Hugh M. Caperton v. A.T. Massey Coal Co., ___U.S. ____, 2009 WL 1576573 (June 9, 2009), is a case with facts reminiscent of a John Grisham novel. We watched with great interest as it wound its way through the appellate process. On June 9, the United States Supreme Court provided another factor to consider in the continuing debate over merit selection v … [Read more...] about Judges: Selection, Conduct, and the Constitution
New Roads Ahead for Self-Represented Litigants
Almost 10 years ago, a small team of individuals headed west to learn about the latest findings and information concerning the rising trend in “pro se litigation.” With the leadership, vision, and support of Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard, Judge David Coleman (Hendricks), Judge Gregory Donat (Tippecanoe) and Staci Terry, Esq. (formerly with Indiana Legal Services) attended the National Conf … [Read more...] about New Roads Ahead for Self-Represented Litigants
The Dangling Docket
Most courts, without even knowing it, encounter an annoying “dangling docket.” Every court in the state reports its docket of cases to the Division of State Court Administration on the Quarterly Case Status Report (QCSR). Each case is counted and noted as being filed, pending or disposed. A frequent question from the courts is: “When can a case be disposed?” Courts can readily label as “disposed” cases concluded af … [Read more...] about The Dangling Docket