Finding consensus, struggling with conflict at legislative halfway mark
As Indiana lawmakers prepare for the second half of the session, several key issues are awaiting further review.
Elections
Articles
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.
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.
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.
AG Rokita swings back after Twitter slap
After Twitter flagged his Valentine’s Day tweet alleging election fraud, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is doubling down, repeating his claims while offering no proof, asserting the tech giant is censoring his freedom of speech and voicing his support for legislation that would give the Statehouse more power in changing the state’s election laws.
Indy lawyer seeks to keep Trump election challenge alive at SCOTUS
As the impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump on a count of incitement of insurrection began Tuesday, his Indianapolis lawyer who asked the United States Supreme Court to overturn election results in Wisconsin pleaded anew for the high court to keep the case alive because Trump may run again for president.
Voting company files $2.7B suit against Fox, Giuliani over election fraud claims
A voting technology company is suing Fox News, three of its hosts and two former lawyers for former President Donald Trump — Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell — for $2.7 billion, charging that the defendants conspired to spread false claims that the company helped “steal” the U.S. presidential election.
Bill to alter Lake, St. Joseph judicial selection rankles local bench, bar
Legal professionals in Lake and St. Joseph counties are raising serious concerns about advancing legislation that would change the structure of the local judicial nominating commissions that shape the state trial court judiciary in the northern Indiana counties.
Trimble: New Year’s resolutions after a tumultuous 2020
Indianapolis lawyer John Trimble exhorts members of the legal profession to shake off the malaise and resolve to charge ahead into 2021 with the renewed vigor to get through the mountain of challenges and to do what we can to make things better.
Records: Trump allies behind rally that ignited Capitol riot
Veterans of President Donald Trump’s failed reelection campaign had key roles in orchestrating the Washington rally that spawned a deadly assault on the U.S. Capitol, according to an Associated Press review of records, undercutting the grassroots image pushed by groups involved in the event.
Supreme Court rejects fast track for Trump election cases
The United States Supreme Court formally refused Monday to put on a fast track multiple election challenges filed by President Donald Trump and his allies, including one filed by an Indianapolis law firm.
Sen. Young in video to Capitol protesters: ‘The law matters’
Indiana Republican Sen. Todd Young’s message to supporters of President Donald Trump last week on the steps of the Capitol that later was overrun was that while he understood their desire that Trump remain president, he was bound by duty under the law to vote for Joe Biden.
New county judges also presiding over former city, town courts
Former municipal court judges in Madison and Vigo counties who have been elected to their county trial court benches will continue to preside over their former dockets at least temporarily, the Indiana Supreme Court has ordered.
Indiana Bar Foundation condemns attack on Capitol
Saying the rights provided in the Constitution come with obligations, the Indiana Bar Foundation has issued a statement condemning Wednesday’s attack on the U.S. Capitol Building.
Biden win confirmed after pro-Trump mob storms US Capitol
Congress confirmed Democrat Joe Biden as the presidential election winner early Thursday after a violent mob loyal to President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol in a stunning attempt to overturn America’s presidential election, undercut the nation’s democracy and keep Trump in the White House.
Hull: Trump election suits pose challenge for legal profession, bar
On Dec. 3, 2020, the group Lawyers Defending American Democracy issued a “Call for Bar Condemnation and Investigation of President Trump’s Campaign Lawyers for Subverting American Democracy.” I am one of the hundreds of lawyers who signed. I did so not only because of the present constitutional crisis, but for an additional individual reason: to personally honor the valiant work of the lawyers in the NAACP Legal and Education Fund Inc. and to mark a distinction between their achievements and the damage to our profession inflicted by these recent worthless cases.
Federal judge rejects lawsuit seeking to overturn Trump loss
A federal judge on Monday rejected a lawsuit filed by two Republican Wisconsin lawmakers, voting rights groups and others seeking to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in Wisconsin and four other swing states where Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump.
Trump, on tape, presses Ga. official to ‘find’ him votes
President Donald Trump pressured Georgia’s Republican secretary of state to “find” enough votes to overturn Joe Biden’s win in the state’s presidential election, repeatedly citing disproven claims of fraud and raising the prospect of a “criminal offense” if officials did not change the vote count, according to a recording of the conversation.