Dear Ms. Meiring, With the holiday season approaching, Charity Y would like to know whether it is ethically permissible for our local judge to dress up like Santa Claus and pass out donated presents to the less fortunate kids in the community at our annual holiday party. Sincerely, Virginia, Director of Charity Y Ah, the holidays - ‘tis the season for charitable giving and activities. As prominent members of the l … [Read more...] about Yes Virginia, Judges can be Santa Claus
Columns
Odyssey Court Measures
In 2013, Grant County Courts, Law Enforcement, and Correctional Services approached the Division of State Court Administration’s (Division) Court Technology office with a grant proposal to fund a system-wide “dashboard” to monitor outcomes and improve efficiency across the entire criminal justice system in Grant County. Their idea was to centralize information from the computer systems in use at the jail, courts, and … [Read more...] about Odyssey Court Measures
INcite Applications Update
The Supreme Court is proud to have a single environment for hosting its web-based applications—Indiana Courts Information Technology Extranet (INcite). The Jan/Feb 2011 “INcite a Framework for Innovation” Indiana Court Times article compared the applications in INcite to houses in a planned community with rules about paint color, building materials, and mailbox height. Since 2011, the community has continued to grow. … [Read more...] about INcite Applications Update
Hon. Mary Ellen Diekhoff
This is the thirty-fourth of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary. Monroe Circuit Court Div. 5 Judge Mary Ellen Diekhoff is our judge featured in this issue. Judge Diekhoff graduated from Valparaiso University in 1980 and then Indiana University Bloomington Mauer School of Law in 1986. After a few years in private practice, she served as a Monroe County … [Read more...] about Hon. Mary Ellen Diekhoff
The Dropout Problem: Part 1
What is behind it & what judges can do about it A judge presiding over a criminal docket will quickly conclude that family violence cases are different. In an auto theft case, for example, the victim is usually cooperative: she wants to help the police and prosecutor bring the perpetrator to justice for his crime. But in a case involving family violence—especially intimate partner violence—the victim often rec … [Read more...] about The Dropout Problem: Part 1