Supreme Court could put new limits on voting rights lawsuits
Eight years after carving the heart out of a landmark voting rights law, the Supreme Court is looking at putting new limits on efforts to combat racial discrimination in voting.
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Trump calls for GOP unity, repeats false claims about election loss
Taking the stage for the first time since leaving office, former President Donald Trump called for GOP unity, even as he exacerbated intraparty divisions by attacking fellow Republicans and promoted false claims about the election in a speech that made clear he intends to remain a dominant political force.
Democrats launch sweeping bid to overhaul US election laws
Stacey Abrams, whose voting rights work helped make Georgia into a swing state, exhorted Congress on Thursday to reject “outright lies” that have historically restricted access to the ballot as Democrats began their push for a sweeping overhaul of election and ethics laws.
House votes to expand legal safeguards for LGBTQ people
The Democratic-led House passed a bill Thursday that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
GOP rallies solidly against Democrats’ virus relief package
Republicans rallied solidly against Democrats’ proposed $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill as lawmakers awaited a decision by the Senate’s parliamentarian that could bolster or potentially kill a pivotal provision hiking the federal minimum wage.
Biden revokes Trump orders on ‘anarchist’ cities, federal architecture
President Joe Biden on Wednesday revoked a series of presidential orders and memoranda signed by Donald Trump, including one that sought to cut funding from several cities the 45th president deemed “anarchist” havens and another mandating that federal buildings should be designed in a classical aesthetic.
House poised to vote on legal safeguards for LGBTQ people
The Democratic-led House is poised to pass a bill that would enshrine LGBTQ protections in the nation’s labor and civil rights laws, a top priority of President Joe Biden, though the legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
Evansville nurse, husband charged in connection with Capitol riot
An Evansville nurse and her husband who were accused of participating in the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol riot were arrested Tuesday, the FBI said.
Capitol defenders cite missed intelligence for deadly breach
Missed intelligence was to blame for the outmanned Capitol defenders’ failure to anticipate the violent mob that invaded the iconic building and halted certification of the presidential election on Jan. 6, the officials who were in charge of security that day said in their first public testimony on the insurrection.
AG nominee Garland to focus on civil rights, political independence
Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden’s nominee for attorney general, is appearing for his confirmation hearing Monday vowing to prioritize civil rights, combat extremist attacks and ensure the Justice Department remains politically independent.
Congressman sues Trump, alleging he incited deadly Capitol riot
The House Homeland Security chairman accused Donald Trump in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of inciting the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and conspiring with his lawyer and extremist groups to try to prevent Congress from certifying the results of the presidential election he lost to Joe Biden.
AG Rokita declined to sign bipartisan letter condemning Capitol attack
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, whose Valentine’s Day social media tweet alluding to a stolen election post briefly drew a Twitter warning, declined weeks earlier to sign a nearly universal statement of attorneys general condemning the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol. Separately, the Republican AG is facing calls for records surrounding his decision to remain employed as an adviser to a private company while also holding statewide elected office.
Congress shifts focus to security failures after impeachment
In the still-shaken and heavily guarded U.S. Capitol, thousands of National Guard troops wander the halls. Glass windows remain broken. Doors swing without handles. And in the grand marble hallways, which amplified the shouts of insurrectionists just over a month ago, there is an uncomfortable silence.
LSC seeking $350 million to $500 million in additional funding
The Legal Services Corporation, which supports legal aid agencies across the country including Indiana Legal Services, is asking the federal government for hundreds of millions in supplemental funding, saying low-income Americans are being hit especially hard by the economic devastation from the pandemic.
On Parkland massacre anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun laws
President Joe Biden joined a Florida community Sunday in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre.
Support grows for Capitol riot inquiry after Trump acquittal
After former President Donald Trump’s acquittal at his second Senate impeachment trial, bipartisan support appears to be growing for an independent Sept. 11-style commission into the deadly insurrection that took place at the U.S. Capitol.
Trump acquitted, denounced in historic impeachment trial
Donald Trump was acquitted Saturday of inciting the horrific attack on the U.S. Capitol, concluding a historic impeachment trial that spared him the first-ever conviction of a current or former U.S. president but exposed the fragility of America’s democratic traditions and left a divided nation to come to terms with the violence sparked by his defeated presidency.
Trump impeachment trial shifts to his defense
Now it’s the Trump team’s time. The Senate trial is shifting to Trump’s defense lawyers on Friday, and they’re prepared to acknowledge that the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 was every bit as traumatic, unacceptable and illegal as Democrats say. But they plan to say Trump had nothing to do with it.
Taft builds new lobby group with Ice Miller transplants
Taft Stettinius & Hollister is making a big push into public affairs and lobbying in both Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., and has nabbed seven attorneys and non-lawyer professionals — including several big names in Indiana politics — from rival Ice Miller to do it.
Biden administration asks SCOTUS to uphold health law
The Biden administration has told the Supreme Court of the United States that it believes the entire Affordable Care Act should be upheld, reversing a Trump administration position in a key case pending before the justices.