2022

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Expungements – A New Year’s Resolution You Won’t Fail

Many people spend the New Year’s holiday re-evaluating their lives. Questioning their life choices, diet, exercise routine, (marriages?) and everything else under the sun. They establish lofty goals that last a week and then sadly fizzle. According to DiscoverHappyHabits.com, after 1 week, 75% of people are still keeping up with their resolution — that means in only 7 days, ¼ of all people have failed. After two weeks, alas, 71%. After 1 month, 64%, and…

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Distinguishing Between OVWI Charges

Although DUIs (or OVWIs in Indiana) are unfortunately all too common, there are several charges that can be brought based on the circumstances, and the charges can range from simple misdemeanors to complex felonies. Below is a breakdown of each Operating a Vehicle While Intoxicated (“OVWI”) charge from least to most serious. OVWI – Base Level Charge Operating a vehicle with a BAC of 0.08 to 0.14 or under the influence of drugs so there…

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Making Sense of Russell v. State and its Impact on Home Detention Sentences

A sentence for a criminal offense can be either executed or suspended.  When a sentence is suspended, some or part of the sentence is typically served on probation, but the defendant is otherwise free to travel within the state.  Crimes that are eligible to be suspended at sentencing are often referred to as “suspendible” offenses.  If a defendant is convicted of a crime that is not eligible to be suspended at sentencing, the crime is…

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How to Obtain Specialized Driving Privileges After Refusing a Chemical Test

Under Indiana law, a court may grant certain persons convicted or accused of motor vehicle related crime, such as DUI/OVWI, a legal remedy called “Specialized Driving Privileges.” These privileges permit a person, whose license has been suspended, the ability drive for specific purposes (work, school, childcare, medical appointments, etc.) upon a showing of necessity (financial need, health & safety, etc.). Historically, these privileges are not available to certain people if they: Have never been an…

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How the Federal Respect for Marriage Act Affects Hoosier Families

Since the groundbreaking civil rights victory in Obergefell codified same-sex marriage in 2015, same-sex couples across America have utilized the legal protection to build their lives and their families. However, there have been some recent insinuations from the Supreme Court that the legal principle of substantive due process may be getting a new, conservative-leaning interpretation. Substantive due process not only is one of the key building blocks that fortifies same-sex marriage but also interracial marriage….

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How to Lift a No Contact Order

Here at Banks and Brower we frequently get calls from people who had an argument, fight, or misunderstanding with a loved one. The police are called and now their loved one is facing domestic violence charges and the Court has issued a no-contact order even though they did not request one. While this can be frustrating, it is routine in Indiana and there are steps you can take to try to get this no-contact order…

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What is a Batson Challenge?

A longtime tenant of the American judicial system is that every individual is entitled to a fair and impartial jury trial.  Over the history of the nation’s existence, the Supreme Court has illuminated what a “fair and impartial” jury trial means, and what rights for criminal defendants are protected under the United States Constitution.  This blog will examine how the case of Batson v. Kentucky has broadened the scope of what a fair jury trial…

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Can the Police Look Through My Phone?

When the founders of our country wrote the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, photos did not exist, audio and video recordings did not exist, GPS did not exist, and everything written was on a physical piece of paper. As technology has developed over the past 250 years, Courts have sometimes struggled to take the 4th Amendment language, written in the late 18th century, and apply it to modern society. One more recent application is…

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