The Judicial Conference Advisory Committees on Appellate, Bankruptcy, Criminal, and Evidence Rules have published proposed amendments to their respective rules and forms, and requested that the proposals be circulated to the bench, bar, and public for comment.

The Civil Jury Project at the NYU School of Law has researched various innovations that could be implemented into civil jury trials. This research looks at various practices from courts around the U.S. and in different countries in an effort to identify “best practices” and other innovative approaches to improve the quality of civil trials.

A key congressional committee voted favorably on the measure which would allow companies over time to test as many as 100,000 highly autonomous vehicles in the United States.

An Indianapolis attorney has brought forth scores of lawsuits, suing “hundreds of people”, over a picture of the Indianapolis skyline that he took and later copyrighted, but in a recent holding U.S. District Court Judge Richard Young denied cross-motions for summary judgment, finding that “there is a genuine dispute of material fact as to the ownership of the copyright.”

Electronic filing is now available in the Warren Township Small Claims Court (Marion Co.) and the Carmel City Court (Hamilton Co.). On Friday, October 6, e-filing will be mandatory for attorneys in these courts for all subsequent and initial filings in case types that allow it.

The IndyBar is saddened to note the passing of United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana Magistrate Judge Denise K. LaRue on August 2, 2017. Judge LaRue was appointed to the court on May 11, 2017 and filled a new magistrate judgeship that had been created for the Southern District of Indiana by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

It is with deep sadness that the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana announces the death of Magistrate Judge Denise K. LaRue on August 2, 2017. Judge LaRue was appointed to the court on May 11, 2011, and filled a new magistrate judgeship that had been created for the Southern District of Indiana by the Judicial Conference of the United States.

Keep up with the happenings: stay up-to-date on section news and events with this quarter's message from the Litigation Section chair, Charley Smith.

The formal investiture of Justice Christopher Goff to the Indiana Supreme Court took place on July 24, 2017 in a private ceremony. Replacing now-retired Justice Robert Rucker, Chief Justice Loretta Rush presided over the ceremony wherein Justice Goff became the 110th Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court.

Couldn't make it to Bench Bar? Get a taste of what you missed by reading this recap by Litigation Section Bench Bar scholarship recipient, Rebecca McClain.