The Federal and Indiana Constitutions guarantee the right to an impartial jury for anyone accused of committing a crime. The right to have an impartial jury, consisting of individuals within the community to decide guilt or innocence in a criminal trial, is one of the most sacred rights in the United States. This blog will shed light on who is eligible to serve on a jury, and how a jury is ultimately selected to hear…
If you are charged with a crime there are a number of things that the Court can issue in terms of order at your initial hearing. One of the things that a court can issue is something called a no contact order. What is a no contact order? A no contact order is a court order that requires a defendant to have no contact with a specific person or place. These are mostly used in…
For most people, being accused of and charged with a crime is one of the most scary, stressful things that can happen. But what if you’re accused of a crime, and perhaps even charged with one, and you are totally innocent? Sadly, this happens. The criminal justice system is founded upon the belief that witnesses will truthfully report what occurred. When a witness testifies in court, he or she is placed under oath by a…
I want to start this article by clarifying that this is specifically for people who have completed their sentence for the criminal conviction that led to them being on the registry. If you are on probation or parole, there may be additional court orders or restrictions that prevent you from leaving the State. You should consult with an Indianapolis criminal attorney and your probation or parole officer before doing so. For someone who is or…
Most people familiar with the legal system (or who have seen any criminal show on TV), have heard of the word of “contempt.” Most people also know being held in contempt isn’t a good thing, obviously. Yet, what most people don’t realize is that there are multiple forms of contempt. Broadly speaking, there are two main types of contempt: civil and criminal. This blog will focus on the criminal form of contempt. But what is…
Facing criminal charges is an incredibly stressful situation. A question that we often get from our clients is how long the process will take for a case to be completed. The short answer is that there are many variables that go into a criminal case’s timeline, but generally speaking, most judges have expectations for how long cases should remain open. Misdemeanor and level 6 felony cases typically take anywhere from 30 days to 6 months…
Those of us who grew up decades ago may recall that physical discipline of your children was more commonly accepted than it is today. You may hear that, if you use physical discipline against your children, you can be charged with “Battery on a Child”. Some parents go by the old standard of “if it doesn’t leave a mark”. In Indiana, it is recognized that there is a defense to this charge called “reasonable parental…
The legalization of marijuana continues to spread across the United States. Although possession of marijuana is still illegal in Indiana, all of Indiana’s neighboring states have legalized marijuana either recreationally or medically. In fact, at the time of this writing, only 6 states currently have no legal avenue in which to consume THC, the mind altering ingredient in marijuana. With the widespread legalization of marijuana, there has developed a massive interest in growing and cultivating…
This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Brad Banks who has more than 20 years of legal experience as a criminal defense attorney.