Indiana report says abortions dropped 5% in state last year
The number of abortions performed in Indiana fell by about 5% last year, according to a new state health department report.
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New state laws ban drivers holding phones, hike marriage age
Using a handheld cellphone while driving will become illegal on Indiana roads under a new state law taking effect Wednesday.
Federal court blocks Indiana panhandling law
In an order that noted Americans exercising their First Amendment rights against racial inequality and quoting Frederick Douglass on the sacred right of free speech, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday preventing Indiana’s new panhandling law from taking effect Wednesday.
COA upholds escape conviction but encourages Legislature to reconsider statute
Even while the Indiana Court of Appeals upheld the two escape convictions of a Shelby County man, the appellate panel noted it was concerned that the defendant who was ultimately found not guilty still has a pair of felonies on his record for “relatively minor violations” of pretrial home detention rules.
Justices grant expungement petition that led to change in law
Confusion over prolonged expungement wait times that Indiana’s longest-serving judge called “unjust” was settled Wednesday when the Indiana Supreme Court declared a new law that eliminated the confusion applies retroactively.
New laws overrule court rulings
Sometimes you lose the battle but win the war. That happened for at least two Indiana lawyers this year. While their clients lost in court, the results of their cases so struck a nerve that the Indiana General Assembly reacted, passing legislation that enshrined into law relief lawyers and their clients fought for.
New laws for 2020
The Indiana General Assembly passed laws this year on matters ranging from increasing the smoking and vaping age to laws banning distracted driving, specifically prohibiting the use of a cellphone behind the wheel. The following enrolled acts, followed in parentheses by their corresponding public law numbers, take effect July 1 unless otherwise noted.
Democrats pick former Evansville mayor to run for Indiana attorney general
Former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel has won the Democratic nomination for Indiana attorney general, the party announced Wednesday night. Weinzapfel edged state Sen. Karen Tallian in a close race and will challenge the Republican AG nominee, to be decided next month, on the November ballot.
AG Hill accusers vow to pursue ‘all available civil claims’ in state court
After a federal court ruling that terminated Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill as a defendant in their lawsuit, the four women who accuse Hill of sexual misconduct say they will “continue their pursuit of all available civil claims” against the AG.
Legislator from Indianapolis resigns after arrest
A state legislator from Indianapolis resigned his position Monday after being arrested last week. Democratic Rep. Dan Forestal said his resignation as a state representative was effective immediately, calling his time in office the “greatest honor of my lifetime.” Forestal said he would “focus on my mental health and get myself well.”
Indiana Democrats prepare to choose attorney general nominee
Indiana Democrats are announcing this week who will run for state attorney general in November. Longtime state Sen. Karen Tallian and former Evansville Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel are vying for the nomination, a selection made by state party delegates rather than primary election voters.
Indiana lawmaker jailed on allegations he assaulted deputies
A state legislator from Indianapolis was arrested on allegations that he assaulted two sheriff’s deputies while being checked into a hospital. It’s the Democratic representative’s second arrest in less than a year.
AG Hill terminated as defendant in groping accusers’ federal lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has won a victory in the continued fallout of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, successfully moving a federal judge to dismiss him as a defendant in a civil lawsuit brought against him and the Indiana Legislature. Also, the state lawmaker who helped initiate the complaint has been dismissed as a plaintiff.
Death penalty ‘secrecy statute’ now in hands of justices
It’s now year six of an ongoing battle between the Indiana Department of Correction and a Washington, D.C., lawyer who wants to know the drugs used in Indiana’s lethal injection cocktail and who supplies them. In those six years, a public records request, a lawsuit and a legislative change have propelled the dispute to the Indiana Supreme Court, which now has a consequential ruling in its hands.
Death penalty ‘secrecy statute’ goes before Indiana Supreme Court
The longstanding dispute over whether the Indiana Department of Correction can keep the identities of its lethal-injection drug suppliers secret reached the Indiana Supreme Court this week, with the parties offering strongly divergent views on Hoosier public access laws and constitutional rights.
Indiana lawmaker loses assignments after Facebook post
A white Indiana state lawmaker has been removed from two committees after posting a meme that showed black children in diapers dancing with the caption, “We gon’ get free money!”
Gaming Commission approves Terre Haute casino license
The cards have been dealt, and Terre Haute is getting a casino. The Indiana Gaming Commission on Friday awarded a casino license to Spectacle Jack LLC, which plans to build a $120 million casino near Interstate 70 and State Road 46 in Terre Haute.
55-year sentence upheld in lawyer’s killing by late lawmaker’s husband
The husband of a late Indiana legislator convicted of murdering a northwestern Indiana lawyer and family friend will serve his 55-year advisory sentence, the Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed Thursday.
Indiana legislator accused of racist Facebook post, again
A white Indiana state lawmaker who was accused of posting something racist on Facebook last year is defending himself again after he posted a meme that showed black children in diapers dancing with the caption, “We gon’ get free money!”
AG Hill suspended for 30 days with automatic reinstatement
Finding Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill guilty of misdemeanor battery and two related violations of the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct, the Indiana Supreme Court has ordered him to serve a 30-day suspension.