Lake Co. must pay probation officers’ legal expenses, COA rules
Lake County must foot the bill for legal expenses incurred by two probation officers in a federal lawsuit brought by a probationer, the Indiana Court of Appeals has ruled.
Indiana Attorney General
Articles
Lawyers question Rokita’s actions in lawsuit filed by governor
Attorney General Todd Rokita’s move to insert himself into the dispute between Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly over executive power is being challenged by members of the legal profession who see the state’s top lawyer as violating his oath and overstepping his authority.
Stafford: Hoosiers may yet vote by mail; lawyers will vote by email
Indiana has no legitimate excuse to require “excuses” for registered voters who wish to cast an absentee ballot. The state is not our parent, and in the last vote, plenty of us determined that as grown adults we shouldn’t have to go through a ridiculous exercise of asking their permission. The last thing that ought to be is a law.
SCOTUS wants Indiana to respond to absentee voting suit
U.S. Supreme Court justices want Indiana to justify its absentee voting restrictions and have formally requested the Indiana Attorney General’s Office to respond to a constitutional challenge after the state previously waived its right to reply.
Judgment for state against insurer in Lawrenceburg official’s theft reversed
The Indiana Attorney General’s Office waited too long to file claims under a crime insurance policy after a former Lawrenceburg city official absconded with more than $40,000 in misappropriated public funds, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled Thursday, finding for the insurer and reversing a trial court judgment in favor of the state.
New murder trial affirmed for Elkhart man with mental disability
A man with a mental disability who has for years claimed he was wrongfully convicted of an Elkhart murder and who spent more than 15 years behind bars can proceed to a new trial after the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld a post-conviction relief order vacating his murder conviction.
Judge blocks ‘discriminatory’ residency, sales requirements for alcohol permits
An Indiana law requiring bars and restaurants owned by out-of-state entrepreneurs to gross more than $100,000 in food sales each year to receive an Indiana alcohol permit has been permanently struck down as unconstitutional by a federal judge.
Judge dismisses lawsuit over Indiana’s Lake Michigan beaches
A federal judge has dismissed the latest attempt by property owners in a northwestern Indiana town to deny public access to Lake Michigan beaches.
Clark Co. nurse allegedly removed COVID-19 patient’s oxygen
A southern Indiana nurse has been charged with practicing medicine without a license for allegedly removing a nursing home resident’s oxygen mask hours before he died from COVID-19 last year.
Rokita’s AG office defends governor’s mask order power in restaurant suit
Indiana’s attorney general’s office vigorously defended Gov. Eric Holcomb’s emergency powers in response to a restaurant’s lawsuit challenging his order that masks must be worn inside restaurants to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
DOC secrets remain after justices rule for disclosure
Despite a ruling in her favor from the Indiana Supreme Court capping her years-long quest to find out how the state of Indiana might carry out an execution, Washington, D.C., attorney Katherine Toomey was still waiting for answers two weeks later.
AG Rokita continuing business advisory roles
Indiana’s new attorney general is being paid by private businesses for consulting work, including $25,000 a year for advising a Connecticut-based pharmaceutical company, according to a newspaper report.
Attorney General Rokita gives up private-sector job after scrutiny
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita, who drew scrutiny last month over his decision to retain employment with a health care benefits business while serving in his elected position, says he has given up the private-sector job.
Advocates ask U.S. Supreme Court to review Indiana absentee voting laws
Hoosiers who unsuccessfully pushed for no-excuse absentee voting in Indiana during the 2020 election are turning to the U.S. Supreme Court, claiming the constitutional arguments they raised will become even more pertinent as some state legislatures are already trying to restrict mail-in balloting.
Agreement could free LOVE sculptor Robert Indiana’s estate from lawsuit
A New York-based copyright holder that sued the late Hoosier artist Robert Indiana a day before his death has reached a settlement with his estate and the foundation set up to transform the artist’s home into museum.
Bill aims to prevent ‘social justice prosecuting’
Under a bill in the Statehouse, a prosecutor who establishes a policy of not charging certain offenses would be considered “noncompliant.” But local prosecutors fear changes that would step on their prosecutorial discretion and give the attorney general, a statewide officeholder, a say over her local decisions.
Stafford: A veteran of Indiana GOP politics looks on, shakes his head
I asked former three-term Indiana Attorney General Linley Pearson, if you were a younger person today, would you run for office? He didn’t hesitate. “There’s no question today I could not be in politics,” he said. “It’s just totally changed, and it’s not very attractive to me. … If you want to exaggerate or malign a person, you could always do that, but do you want to do that?”
Bill challenging ‘noncompliant’ prosecutors clears Indiana Senate
A controversial bill that would allow the Indiana attorney general to request a special prosecutor if elected prosecutors become “noncompliant” passed the Indiana Senate on Tuesday. Senate Bill 200 is now headed to the Indiana House for further consideration.
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.
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.