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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Ind. Courts - An observation on the NYT series on local courts
The NY Times has just concluded a very lengthy three-part series on New York State’s town and village courts, finding a long trail of judicial abuses and errors along the way. (Here is the link to the third part, which will lead you back to all three parts.) A quote:
Although they are key institutions of justice in more than 1,000 small towns and suburbs across New York, trying misdemeanor cases and lawsuits, a vast majority of the justices who run them are not lawyers, and receive only a few days’ legal training. The justices are often elected in low-turnout races, keep few records and operate largely without supervision — leaving a long trail of injustices and mangled rulings.Well, what about Indiana? This excerpt from the Indiana Courts website explains that in Indiana:
City and town courts may be created by local ordinance (local law). Currently there are forty-eight city courts and twenty-seven town courts in Indiana. Plainfield, Avon, Carmel, and Jamestown are just a few examples of cities and towns that have city/town courts. City and town courts handle minor offenses such as violations of city ordinances (laws), misdemeanors, and infractions. These courts commonly handle traffic matters. City and town courts are not courts of record (their proceedings are not recorded), so appeals from city and town courts go to the circuit or superior courts and are decided as if they have never been to court before. Did you know that with some exceptions, the city and town court judges are not required to be attorneys?How comparable is Indiana's situation to that of New York?
Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 27, 2006 02:23 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts