Cover Stories
Celebrating Constitution Day
February 7, 2014
Mrs. Henry’s 5th grade class from Tipton Elementary School visits Judge Thomas Lett in his courtroom (Tipton). In September, forty-eight judges and one Supreme Court staff attorney visited schools across the state in celebration of Constitution Day. September 17, 2013 marked the 226th anniversary of the 1787 signing of the U.S. Constitution in Philadelphia. For decades September 17th was noted on calendars as “Citizenship Day,” but rarely received much attention. That all changed in 2004 when Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia successfully included an amendment to... [Read the full story]
Features
Courts and Volunteer Adult Guardianship Programs and Projects
February 7, 2014
At any given time in Indiana, a number of indigent adults who can no longer manage their own affairs enter the court system. Many are looked after by a small but dedicated cadre of people who donate their time. In a bid to swell the number of volunteer guardians, the Indiana General Assembly provided $500,000 in the spring of 2013 to the Indiana Supreme Court to provide grants to programs and projects that manage volunteer guardians. If the funding works as expected in the coming years, judges with Guardianship jurisdiction should see an uptick in activity and in the number... [Read the full story]
Spotlight
Judge Bonfiglio Receives Community Partner of the Year Award
February 7, 2014
Judge David C. Bonfiglio of Elkhart Superior Court 6 received the 2013 Community Partner of the Year Award from the Indiana Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) at their annual conference in Indianapolis on Sept. 30th. Mark Fairchild, Executive Director, NASW Indiana Chapter outlined the criteria for the award. The award recipient must: Make a significant contribution to an area or population of concern to the social work profession such as at-risk or vulnerable populations quality of life in communities social issues Act with courage Demonstrate... [Read the full story]
Court Technology
One Million Tickets Filed Electronically to Odyssey Courts
February 7, 2014
On August 14, 2013, the trial court technology section of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Division of State Court Administration (Division) hit a major milestone when it filed its one millionth traffic ticket electronically in the state’s Odyssey court case management system. During 2008, the first traffic case was “e-filed” in Odyssey in Monroe County without the Monroe County Clerk doing any data entry. The ticket data was extracted from the electronic ticketing software developed by the Division. The data was pushed into Odyssey through its Application Portal Interface... [Read the full story]
Sidebar
Hon. Mark E. Spitzer
February 7, 2014
This is the twenty-seventh of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and personal a member of the Indiana Judiciary. Grant County Circuit Court Judge Mark E. Spitzer is our judge featured in this issue. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from the IU McKinney School of Law (Indianapolis). Following graduation from law school in 1990, he worked for two years as a law clerk for the Indiana Court of Appeals. Judge Spitzer ran in the Boston Marathon in 2013 and thankfully finished the race before the bombing. Following... [Read the full story]
Family Violence
Are Protection Orders Effective in Reducing Intimate Partner Violence?
February 7, 2014
Editor’s Note: We begin a new feature focusing on Family Violence articles that will be written by the Indiana Supreme Court Division of State Court Administration’s newest Family Law Staff Attorney, Ruth Reichard. Ruth has over twenty-seven years of combined litigation, judicial and teaching experience, as well as a passion for domestic violence issues. She served as a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Marion County, and then as a Judge in the Marion Municipal Courts. She was instrumental in drafting new Protective Order laws, alongside Jeff Bercovitz, Director, Juvenile... [Read the full story]
Features
Courts and Volunteer Adult Guardianship Programs and Projects
At any given time in Indiana, a number of indigent adults who can no longer manage...
2014 State of the Judiciary
Chief Justice Brent E. Dickson presented the status of the courts in his 2014 State...
Facilitation: A Win-Win for Courts and Unrepresented Litigants
More and more litigants in family law cases are appearing in Indiana’s courts without...
Court Reform Grant Recipients
Over the last several years, state trial courts throughout the country have faced...
EPICS: Effective Practices in Community Supervision
When a person is placed on probation, there is an opportunity to enhance public safety...
Press Examine Court Reports
Media looks through the various reports With 1.6 million new cases filed in Indiana...
More Posts From Features
Columns
Are Protection Orders Effective in Reducing Intimate Partner Violence?
Editor’s Note: We begin a new feature focusing on Family Violence articles that...
One Million Tickets Filed Electronically to Odyssey Courts
On August 14, 2013, the trial court technology section of the Indiana Supreme Court’s...
Judicial Technology Oversight Committee
Established by Public Law 284-2013, the Judicial Technology Oversight Committee (JTOC)...
Judge Bonfiglio Receives Community Partner of the Year Award
Judge David C. Bonfiglio of Elkhart Superior Court 6 received the 2013 Community...
Lisa Plencner Receives Liberty Bell Award
ISBA President Daniel B. Vinovich (left) and Lisa Plencner Lisa Plencner has been...
Court of Appeals Selects Nancy H. Vaidik as Chief Judge
The Indiana Court of Appeals of Indiana has selected Judge Nancy H. Vaidik to succeed...
New Adult Guardianship Attorney at State Court Administration
Erica Costello joined the Division of State Court Administration as its new and first...
Hon. Mark E. Spitzer
This is the twenty-seventh of our Court Times articles that highlight up close and...
What Indiana Trial Judges Need to Know about the Affordable Care Act
County contracts and programs govern health care benefits for trial court employees....
More Posts From Columns
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