Rokita pledges ‘liberty in action’ at AG inauguration
Promising to put liberty into action, former Indiana Congressman and Secretary of State Todd Rokita returned to elected office Monday, taking the oath as Indiana’s 44th attorney general.
Attorney General
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Year in Review: COVID aside, Barrett’s ascent to SCOTUS tops year’s biggest legal news stories
COVID may have seemed like the only thing that happened in 2020, but for Indiana’s legal community, the past year brought watershed developments that will be with us for years to come, many of which were touched directly by the pandemic. Here are the Top 10 non-coronavirus Indiana legal news stories as determined by consensus of the Indiana Lawyer editorial staff.
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Rokita wins Indiana attorney general race
Former Indiana Congressman Todd Rokita has claimed victory in the race for Indiana attorney general, securing about 66% of Hoosier votes compared to the nearly 34% won by former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel with about 60% of the statewide vote counted.
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Ex-AG Barr: Trump conduct ‘betrayal’ of presidency
Former Attorney General William Barr said Thursday President Donald Trump’s conduct as a violent mob of his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol was a “betrayal of his office and supporters.” Separately, more than 6,200 additional National Guard members were activated to secure the Capitol ahead of president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Biden to name judge Merrick Garland as attorney general
President-elect Joe Biden has selected Merrick Garland, a federal appeals court judge who in 2016 was snubbed by Republicans for a seat on the Supreme Court, as his attorney general, two people familiar with the selection process said Wednesday.
Inspector General Torres joining AG-elect Rokita as chief deputy, chief of staff
Indiana Inspector General Lori Torres will move into a new public position next month, transitioning to the role of chief deputy attorney general and chief of staff to Attorney General-elect Todd Rokita.
DOJ: Operation Legend yields 94 violent crime arrests in Indy
Almost 100 individuals accused of violent crime in Indianapolis have been arrested and charged through a federal program designed to decrease violence across major U.S. cities, the Department of Justice has announced.
Judge delays execution of only woman on US death row
A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row in Terre Haute, potentially setting up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
AG Hill sues Nevada company for fraudulent sale of 3M masks
A Nevada company already facing a federal lawsuit in Indiana for efforts to defraud the state into buying respiratory masks the company didn’t have access to is now facing a state-court complaint brought by the Indiana attorney general.
AG Hill, 3 Indiana congressmen sign onto Texas suit seeking to void election
The Texas lawsuit asking the U.S. Supreme Court to invalidate President-elect Joe Biden’s victory has quickly become a conservative litmus test, as 106 members of Congress and multiple state attorneys general — including Indiana’s — signed onto the case even as some who joined predicted it will fail.
Judge denies Thursday execution stay as pause urged due to COVID
An Indiana judge has declined to stay a federal execution scheduled for Thursday at the Terre Haute federal prison. Meanwhile, another judge is considering whether the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic means all upcoming executions should indefinitely be put on hold.
BOP defends COVID procedures as inmates challenge upcoming executions
Facing questions about COVID-19 protocols from an Indiana judge, the federal government is defending its plan to move forward with scheduled executions this month and next despite the continued surge of reported virus cases.
Hoosiers looking for new pets warned against online scammers
Hoosiers looking to find a new furry friend via the Internet need to watch out for scammers, the Indiana Attorney General’s office announced Thursday.
Lawyers, lawmaker, former AG join Rokita transition team
Indiana Attorney General-elect Todd Rokita has announced the members of his transition team, working with longtime lawyers, politicians and a former attorney general as he prepares to take the helm of the Office of the Attorney General in January.
US probing potential bribery, lobbying scheme for pardons
The Justice Department is investigating whether there was a secret scheme to lobby White House officials for a pardon as well as a related plot to offer a hefty political contribution in exchange for clemency, according to a court document unsealed Tuesday.
Disputing Trump, Barr says no widespread election fraud
Disputing President Donald Trump’s persistent, baseless claims, Attorney General William Barr declared the U.S. Justice Department has uncovered no evidence of widespread voter fraud that could change the outcome of the 2020 election.
Rokita wins race for AG, GOP retains state offices
Former Indiana Secretary of State Todd Rokita is heading back to the Indiana Statehouse after claiming victory in the race for Indiana attorney general. Rokita, also a former Congressman, defeated Democratic candidate Jonathan Weinzapfel in the Nov. 3 election, securing about 58% of the vote.
Immigration overload: Court backlog of 1.2 million cases sparks fears, frustration and calls for change
Immigration attorneys say the lengthening time between hearings and the growing delays are needlessly clogging the docket, causing backlogs to skyrocket and putting client due process at risk. Since fiscal year 2017, the number of pending cases nationwide has more than doubled from 629,051 to 1.26 million for fiscal year 2020.
SCOTUS case: Can census exclude undocumented immigrants?
More than one year after losing a bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, the Trump administration is headed back to the Supreme Court this month in another effort to draw a line around undocumented immigrants in the national population count.
AG Barr tells DOJ to probe election fraud claims if they exist
Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the U.S. to pursue “substantial allegations” of voting irregularities, if they exist, before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite no evidence of widespread fraud.
AG candidate Rokita tests positive for coronavirus
Todd Rokita, the Republican candidate for attorney general, buried the lead in a release his campaign sent out Tuesday afternoon saying that he will be staying home with his family to watch election returns. The Rokita campaign said he tested positive for COVID-19.
Indiana Southern District receives $5.6M to fight violent crime
Indiana has received more than $5 million in federal funding to combat violent crime, including money designated for curbing crime in Indianapolis, where annual homicides have reached record levels.