In the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting tragedy, on April 16, 2007, Congress passed the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (“The Act”). The Act gives states greater incentives to submit records to the FBI regarding individuals who are prohibited from purchasing firearms. Representative Vern Tincher, a retired Indiana State Police officer from Terre Haute, sp … [Read more...] about Shooting at Virginia Tech Effects Change for Hoosiers
Columns
Ethical Considerations of Using Social Networking Sites
During the course of their professional lives, judges often have ethical questions about the application of the Code of Judicial Conduct to particular situations. Should a judge disqualify from a particular case? May a judge attend and participate in a specific fundraiser? What should a judge do about an ex parte communication that the judge just received? As Counsel to the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qua … [Read more...] about Ethical Considerations of Using Social Networking Sites
Opperman and Munsterman Awards
Indiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard has been selected by the American Judicature Society (AJS) as the recipient of the Sixth Annual Dwight D. Opperman Award for Judicial Excellence. The American Judicature Society (AJS), which was founded in 1913 to educate the public and build confidence in the justice system, created the Opperman Award to honor state trial and appellate judges for distinguished … [Read more...] about Opperman and Munsterman Awards
New Online Child Support Calculator
JTAC web development staff and the Indiana Judicial Conference's Domestic Relations Committee have spent the end of 2009 building a new child support calculator to comply with amendments to the Indiana Child Support Guidelines effective on January 1, 2010. Changes to the Guidelines that had the most impact on the calculator include a new form for Health Insurance Premiums and new guideline schedules for basic child … [Read more...] about New Online Child Support Calculator
Hon. William J. Boklund
This is the sixth of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary. LaPorte Superior Court Judge William J. Boklund is our judge featured in this issue. Judge Boklund was first appointed as Superior Court Judge in 1993, elected in 1996 and re-elected in 2002 and 2008. He graduated from Purdue University, with distinction, in 1973, and received his Doctor of … [Read more...] about Hon. William J. Boklund