National Roundup

Indiana
Presidential election could stall Indiana judgeships
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A Republican U.S. senator from Indiana has been urging Congress to add two judges to one of the nation’s most overworked federal courts, but district judge appointments have stalled due to the upcoming presidential election.

The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana is the state’s most overworked and ranks second in the nation for highest caseload — an issue Sen. Todd Young wants to tackle now.

Young indicated that he’s ready to push for legislation that would add judges in Indiana and similarly overbooked courts in Arizona, California, Florida, New Jersey and Texas.

But since district court judges are appointed by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate, which Republicans now control, the legislation hasn’t moved forward as the 2020 election is underway.

Young says he reached out to Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who is the highest ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, to offer a compromise: Allow President Donald Trump to appoint some new judges in 2020 and let whoever is president in 2021 appoint the remainder.

“It just struck me as sort of a reasonable and obvious compromise, especially in light of the fact that her state as much as any other requires more judges,” Young said.

Feinstein’s office said she is looking into the issue but didn’t comment further, the Indianapolis Star reported.

Meanwhile, Indiana’s problem is real, said Southern District Chief Judge Jane Magnus-Stinson.

“There has been a need for decades, but it’s becoming pretty critical at this point,” Magnus-Stinson said.

She said her district has 1,266 civil cases, nearly three times the number of new filings per judge this year than the national average.

Young said he’s open to discussing other solutions, adding that he’s doubtful matters will be less partisan following the 2020 election.

“Unless Democrats control all of the levers of power in Washington in 2021,” he said. “I cannot conceive of a situation that will be a more hospitable atmosphere (for Democrats) toward adding federal judges and reducing caseload.”


Pennsylvania
Man kills woman with knife in front of children, wounds teen
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man killed a woman in north Philadelphia on Wednesday, repeatedly stabbing her and even chasing her outside the home at one point in an attack that also critically injured a teenager and was witnessed by other children, police said.

The 35-year-old woman was found with stab wounds to her stomach and chest after the attack shortly before 3:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Fern Rock neighborhood, police said. She was pronounced dead minutes later at Albert Einstein Medial Center.

A 14-year-old boy found inside the home with a stab wound to his right thigh was taken by police to the hospital, where he was listed in critical condition. police said.

WPVI-TV reported, citing police, that six children ranging in age from 8 to 16 were in the home at the time of the Christmas morning attack. Chief Inspector Scott Small told the station there were signs of a violent fight inside, with large amounts of blood, broken glass and overturned furniture.

A preliminary investigation indicates that the suspect was drinking heavily at a family party and allegedly started arguing and fighting with other guests, police said. Eventually, the police spokeswoman said, he “turned his rage” upon his girlfriend and her son, taking a knife from the kitchen and stabbing the 14-year-old when the teenager tried to disarm him and stabbing the woman and chasing her outside, where she was found.

The 33-year-old suspect was arrested. The names of the victim and suspect weren’t immediately released.

Maine
Number of sex discrimination cases reaches new high in state
AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — The number of people filing sex discrimination cases in Maine has reached a new high, according to the state’s human rights commission.

Complaints of sex discrimination increased by 35% from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2019, according to data from the Maine Human Rights Commission. There were 174 complaints filed in fiscal year 2019, which ran from July 1, 2018, to June 30, 2019.

The commission’s executive director, Amy Sneirson, told the Bangor Daily News the spike in complaints doesn’t necessarily mean that there are higher rates of sex discrimination.

“I do think more people are reporting discrimination based on sex perhaps because they are starting to see something actually happen when it is reported,” Sneirson said.

Florida
Wife, 26, charged with exploiting husband, 77, for almost $1 million
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A newly married 26-year-old woman has been arrested on charges alleging she tried to cash almost $1 million in checks from her 77-year-old husband’s account.

Lin Helena Halfon was arrested earlier this month at Tampa International Airport. She is facing charges of money laundering, organized fraud and exploitation of an elderly person. During her first court appearance, a judge set her bail at $1 million.

The Tampa Bay Times reported that when her husband, Tampa businessman Richard Rappaport, was notified by investigators about what his wife was doing, he said wanted to give his wife the benefit of the doubt, according to a warrant affidavit.

He said he didn’t want her to be deported to her native Israel.

An Amscot employee in Tampa refused to cash the checks. Eventually, two checks worth about $666,000 were cashed by an Orlando business.

Asked later if he felt he was the victim of fraud and fraud, Rappaport told investigators, “yes,” according to the arrest warrant.

Halfon and Rappaport were married in August in Sarasota.

Rappaport’s daughter, Dayna Titus, said in an arrest affidavit that family members were unaware of the marriage.

“Titus believed that Halfon was ‘conning’ Rappaport due to his age,” FDLE Special Agent Victoria Morris wrote in the affidavit.

Halfon’s attorney, Todd Foster, said the couple had a valid marriage.

 “We look forward to bringing forward additional facts to bring clarity to this situation,” Foster said.