What does it mean when the Indiana Supreme Court grants a petition to transfer?
The Indiana Supreme Court must hear every case in which the defendant receives a sentence of death or the trial court declares a state or federal statute unconstitutional. In addition, the Court must hear sentences of life in prison without parole imposed under Indiana Code 35-50-2-9. But it does not have to hear a case that is effectively a “life sentence” because of multiple crimes or additional prison time imposed by the state’s Habitual Offender law.
