A defendant’s “eligibility” for a belated appeal rests not on whether his petition alleges a meritorious claim, but on whether the claim would overcome an appeal waiver if timely brought on direct appeal.
Criminal
Blackburn v. State, No. 25A-CR-2222, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., May 6, 2026).
For a fetus to meet the definition of “an individual” under I.C. § 9-13-2-124, the fetus must be viable, meaning the ability to live outside the mother’s womb.
Billingsley v. State, No. 25A-CR-1654, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Apr. 30, 2026).
Criminal Rule 4.1(A)(4)’s mandate on trial courts to designate whether and why any delay is excluded from the time period imposes a corresponding duty on the parties to timely object, with a specifically stated ground, to the trial court’s designation of a delay under that Rule in order to preserve appellate review.
Tillett v. State, No. 25S-CR-231, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind., Apr. 24, 2026).
Under Indiana Code Section 35-36-2-1, a defendant in a felony case must file a notice of intent to assert an insanity defense no later than 20 days before the omnibus date, or 10 days before the omnibus date for misdemeanor charges. However, in the interest of justice and upon a showing of good cause, the court may permit the filing to be made at any time before commencement of the trial.
Neace v. State, No. 25A-CR-1615, __ N.E.3d __ (Ind. Ct. App., Apr. 21, 2026).
Asking prospective jurors if they would automatically believe a child does not leave them with a false or misleading impression of the facts or warrant an explanation or rebuttal from the State.