State Supreme Court visits campus

By Hannah Hadley NEWS EDITOR

The Indiana State Supreme Court visited the University of Indianapolis’ campus to hear oral arguments for a class action lawsuit on Tuesday, April 11 in Ruth Lilly Performance Hall.

According to the press release from the Indiana Judicial Branch, UIndy students and professors, judiciary and legislative professionals, media, high school students from across the state, the six state supreme court justices and others listened to the traveling arguments from lawyers from both parties in the Keller J. Mellowitz v. Ball State University, Board of Trustees of Ball State University, and State of Indiana case.

The synthesis provided by the Indiana Supreme Court’s Office of Communication, Education and Outreach said the class action lawsuit being discussed on campus was brought about by a BSU student claiming the university breached the student-university contract and provided “unjust enrichment” during the COVID-19 pandemic. The arguments heard in the performance hall were about an appeal by Mellowitz regarding the Marion Superior Court’s ruling for him to amend his original complaint to comply with a law passed about COVID-19-related class action lawsuits. The superior court’s ruling then went to the Court of Appeals and was reversed.The reversal was then challenged by BSU and Indiana’s supreme court assumed jurisdiction over the case.

Senior political science student, President of the Pre-Law Society

Registered Student Organization and Treasurer of the Janus Club Meagan Tadevich—who plans to attend the Indiana University McKinney School of Law after graduation—served as the honorary bailiff for the hearing on campus. Bailiffs gavel a court into and out of session.

“It was super cool,” Tadevich said. “I didn't really realize how involved I would be. I didn't know I'd have this script to follow. I didn't know I'd actually be banging the gavel. I thought it was more like a title type of thing. But it was super cool to be able to be interacting with the real bailiff. And I got to shake one of the justice's hands, which felt unreal… This is what I want to do with my life, [to be] in the courtroom. So to be able to be

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