Latest news with #IndianaSupremeCourt
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Expanding access to justice': First five Purdue Global Law School students admitted to Indiana bar
More than 60 new lawyers take their oath on May 20, 2025 in downtown Indianapolis. (Madelyn Hanes/Indiana Capital Chronicle) The first five graduates from Purdue University Global Law School took their new attorney's oath Tuesday morning, marking a milestone for both the school and Indiana's legal system. At the ceremony held at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, the Indiana Supreme Court admitted 68 new attorneys, including the Purdue Global Law graduates. The ceremony was attended by all five justices of the Indiana Supreme Court, as well as judges from the U.S. District Courts for the Northern and Southern Districts, the Indiana Court of Appeals, and the Indiana Tax Court. The ceremony follows a July 2024 amendment to Indiana's Rules of Admission and Discipline Rule 13 that allowed graduates of non-American Bar Association accredited, Indiana-based online law schools to sit for the Indiana bar exam. It was meant to address the state's justice gap in rural or other underserved areas. This amendment made Purdue Global Law graduates eligible to sit for the bar exam upon graduation. At the time, California was the only other state that allowed such eligibility. Indiana currently has a lawyer shortage. Indiana Court of Appeals Chief Judge Robert Altice told the graduates Tuesday that out of 6.8 million Hoosiers, only 19,055 are lawyers. 'You are joining a very special group today,' Altice said. 'As less than 1% of our total population, I encourage you to think about a small specialized group you are.' All five eligible Purdue Global Law graduates passed the February Indiana Bar Exam on their first attempt. According to Indiana Bar exam result data, Indiana's overall pass rate for first time takers is 63%. The graduates are: Joud Elias Lindley Jarrett Jeff Kraft Daniel Stahoviak Abby Strehle Strehle is a nurse practitioner, mother and now dual-licensed attorney in both Indiana and California. She attended Purdue for her undergraduate degree 26 years ago and received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Indianapolis. Following that she completed her Master of Science and became a licensed Nurse Practitioner. Strehle said she always had an interest in law so she returned to Purdue Global Law's fully online program. She completed her law degree in August 2023 while continuing to work in healthcare and raising her family in Bargersville, Indiana. 'I wasn't willing to give up my nights or time with my kids for a traditional law school,' she said. Strehle, the owner and founder of Encompass Legal Services, now practices disability law in all 50 states. She said she wanted to take her experience in the medical field into the legal one. 'I've seen the other side,' she said. 'I know what people are going through when making either end-life decisions or something that disrupts their entire life.' She said that her online law school experience was far from easy but she was able to make connections and even some close friends online. She said the courses are set up in similar formats including course work, weekly zoom meetings and breakout sessions. Strehel said the Indiana Supreme Court amendment that created the path for Purdue Global Law graduates to become eligible for the bar exam means everything to her. 'When I applied to Purdue Global, I only hoped that being licensed in Indiana would be a thing,' she said. 'The fact that I can be licensed in Indiana allows me to really do what I want to do and the reason why I did what I wanted.' Dean of Purdue Global Law School, Martin Pritikin called the moment 'a turning point' for access to justice. Pritikin was a professor and administrator of a traditional law school for 12 years before he became interested in online education. Purdue Global Law — previously called Concord Law School — was founded in 1998 and was one of the nation's first fully online law schools. Pritikin said the school operates at one-third of the cost of traditional programs and is designed for nontraditional students – working professionals or others who need flexibility. 'Our typical student is not someone who went straight from high school to college to law school,' he said. 'Even though they may be new lawyers they are not new to the workforce.' Pritikin said the curriculum at Purdue Global is as 'rigorous' as anything someone would get at a traditional law school. He said that people think the school is easy because it's online, but that's not the case. Pritikin said the Indiana Supreme Court 'took a chance' on Purdue Global, and hopes the school is a big part of solving the access to justice crisis. He noted more than half of the students enrolling are not from Indianapolis — they are from rural, small and underserved areas. The school currently has 78 Indiana-based students enrolled — about 10% of total enrollment. 'It's the best way to get more lawyers in underserved areas and to make it easier for people in those areas to stay where they are to attend law school.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Editorial: Help on the way for Indiana's attorney deserts
If asked whether there aren't enough attorneys around, many Hoosiers might respond off the cuff, 'Aren't enough? One is too many!' But those living in many areas of the state would answer differently should they find themselves in need of an attorney for representation in a civil or criminal case. A recent news article by CNHI State Reporter Carson Gerber illuminated the dearth of attorneys across Indiana. More than half of the state's 92 counties are considered 'attorney deserts,' meaning they have fewer than one lawyer per 1,000 residents. That puts the state in the bottom 10 nationally with an average of just 2.3 attorneys per 1,000 Hoosiers, the American Bar Association reports. As a result, many Hoosiers — unable to afford the considerable expense of bringing in an attorney from out of town — end up standing alone before a judge, trying to interpret the law without any expertise to do so. It puts them at a disadvantage and clogs court dockets with long hearings and delays as judges and other court personnel try to help unrepresented plaintiffs and defendants navigate the judicial system. As reported by Gerber, state legislators and the Indiana Supreme Court are moving toward solutions to provide legal services in underserved areas. In July 2024, a special commission released a 74-page preliminary report with recommendations to bolster legal services across Indiana by attracting more attorneys to practice in underserved areas of the state. A final plan from that report is expected to be released in July 2025. Reacting to the preliminary report, the state Supreme Court has already made some changes in its rules, now enabling business owners to represent themselves, rather than hiring an attorney, in small claims seeking more than $6,000, and relaxing rules to allow more lawyers with licenses in other states to practice in Indiana. The Legislature, as is its practice, responded more slowly, adopting into law just two of the report's 16 recommendations. Indiana law now allows municipal attorneys to live in a contiguous county, and the state has created a framework for a scholarship program that would provide up to $60,000 to law students who agree to serve as a deputy prosecuting attorney or public defender in Indiana for a minimum of five years after they pass the bar. Alas, lawmakers, in this lean budget session, did not provide funding for the scholarship program. The Indiana Bar Association is also addressing the state's 'attorney deserts' through several measures, most notably an incubator program to help new lawyers establish practices in rural and other underserved areas. These various initiatives and the two new laws promise to at least partially alleviate the problems caused by lack of court representation across many Indiana counties. And that's an answer to the attorneys question that all Hoosier should be able to appreciate.
Indianapolis Star
20-05-2025
- Indianapolis Star
Benjamin Ritchie's last meal, final words before execution in Beech Grove officer's murder
In the early morning hours of May 20, Indiana executed Benjamin Ritchie via lethal injection. He was sentenced to death more than two decades ago for the murder of William Toney, a Beech Grove police officer. The execution began just after 12:01 a.m. at the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. Ritchie was declared dead at 12:46 a.m., according to the Indiana Department of Corrections. His last meal was the Tour of Italy from Olive Garden. "I love my family, my friends, and all the support I've gotten,' Ritchie said in his last words. 'I hope they all find peace." In the months before his death, Ritchie filed a slew of appeals seeking to halt the execution. His legal team argued that defense attorneys who represented Ritchie in his 2002 trial failed to introduce his diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, which the jury could have considered a mitigating factor during sentencing. In a statement released hours after Ritchie's death, his attorney described the execution as "the result of prioritizing finality over fairness." "We continue to believe, as did half of the Indiana Supreme Court, that Ben's execution was inappropriate. Indiana executed a man with profound brain damage and developmental disabilities," public defender Mark Koselke said in a statement. Bill Toney: Indiana executes Benjamin Ritchie for young police officer's murder. Widow honors victim. Ritchie's is the second execution after Indiana's $900,000 purchase of pentobarbital in 2024 made the death penalty possible for the first time in 15 years. Joseph Corcoran, the first man executed since 2009, died on Dec. 18, 2024. "While there is no peace in the execution, there is comfort in the realization that society has kept its promise to the men and women of law enforcement to hold those accountable for their reckless choices and damaging actions, so that those still serving find strength knowing that their service is not in vain," a statement from Beech Grove police chief Michael Maurice read in part.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Indiana has a near-total abortion ban. But hospitals still performed some in 2024
Less than 150 abortions were performed in Indiana in 2024, according to new data released by the Indiana Department of Health, a sharp decrease from prior years now that abortion is mostly illegal here. By comparison, there were about 9,500 abortions performed here in 2022, the last full year before the state's near-total abortion ban went into effect. Most of the 146 abortions in Indiana last year were to women who were well into their pregnancies - 14 weeks or more. Forty of those abortions were in pregnancies at over 21 weeks gestation. More than 65% of the abortions took place due to a lethal fetal anomaly, such as anencephaly, where a baby's brain and skull were missing or incomplete, or congenital heart malformation. Another 28% were due to a serious health or life risk of the pregnant woman, such as eclampsia, a sometimes fatal high-blood pressure condition, renal disease or premature placenta separation. Just 6% were due to rape or incest. About half of the women were married at the time of receiving the abortion, and most have at least one child already. All were performed at hospitals. In three cases, the fetus was born alive, according to the report. A 2024 Canadian study showed that second-trimester abortion carries a risk of live birth especially at 20 to 24 weeks gestation. Generally, babies born before 23 weeks have a very low survival rate, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The data comes from Indiana Department of Health's latest summary of terminated pregnancy reports that are submitted to the state health department. Abortion is mostly illegal in Indiana since an Indiana General Assembly near-ban went into effect in August 2023. The law prohibits all abortions except in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormalities or where the mother's life is at risk. In the cases of rape or incest, abortion is allowed up to 10 weeks. Previously, abortion was legal in Indiana up to 22 weeks. Court cases arguing that the ban in its entirety was unconstitutional did not survive the Indiana Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in favor of the state of Indiana. However, another lawsuit that argues that Indiana's near-total ban violates the religious freedom of Hoosiers, is ongoing. The Indiana Supreme Court in December declined to take up an appeal on a lower court's preliminary injunction. If those plaintiffs are eventually successful, it could open the door to more abortions here for those asking for religious exemptions. Contact senior government accountability reporter Hayleigh Colombo at hcolombo@ Sign up for our free weekly politics newsletter, Checks & Balances, by IndyStar political and government reporters. This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana's abortion ban is strict. But some women are still getting them
Indianapolis Star
15-05-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Indiana has a near-total abortion ban. But hospitals still performed some in 2024
Less than 150 abortions were performed in Indiana in 2024, according to new data released by the Indiana Department of Health, a sharp decrease from prior years now that abortion is mostly illegal here. By comparison, there were about 9,500 abortions performed here in 2022, the last full year before the state's near-total abortion ban went into effect. Most of the 146 abortions in Indiana last year were to women who were well into their pregnancies - 14 weeks or more. Forty of those abortions were in pregnancies at over 21 weeks gestation. More than 65% of the abortions took place due to a lethal fetal anomaly, such as anencephaly, where a baby's brain and skull were missing or incomplete, or congenital heart malformation. Another 28% were due to a serious health or life risk of the pregnant woman, such as eclampsia, a sometimes fatal high-blood pressure condition, renal disease or premature placenta separation. Just 6% were due to rape or incest. About half of the women were married at the time of receiving the abortion, and most have at least one child already. All were performed at hospitals. In three cases, the fetus was born alive, according to the report. A 2024 Canadian study showed that second-trimester abortion carries a risk of live birth especially at 20 to 24 weeks gestation. Generally, babies born before 23 weeks have a very low survival rate, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. The data comes from Indiana Department of Health's latest summary of terminated pregnancy reports that are submitted to the state health department. Abortion is mostly illegal in Indiana since an Indiana General Assembly near-ban went into effect in August 2023. The law prohibits all abortions except in cases of rape, incest, fetal abnormalities or where the mother's life is at risk. In the cases of rape or incest, abortion is allowed up to 10 weeks. Previously, abortion was legal in Indiana up to 22 weeks. Court cases arguing that the ban in its entirety was unconstitutional did not survive the Indiana Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in favor of the state of Indiana. However, another lawsuit that argues that Indiana's near-total ban violates the religious freedom of Hoosiers, is ongoing. The Indiana Supreme Court in December declined to take up an appeal on a lower court's preliminary injunction. If those plaintiffs are eventually successful, it could open the door to more abortions here for those asking for religious exemptions.
