Bosma stepping down early, after 34 years as state lawmaker
Former Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said he plans to leave the Legislature at the end of the month — five months before his term expires.
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Officer’s actions toward Black Indiana senator under review
Indiana State Police are reviewing allegations that a white Capitol Police officer reached for his handgun while confronting a Black state senator inside the Statehouse over the weekend, an agency spokesman said Tuesday.
Voting hours lawsuit highlights change in tactics for Common Cause
In its latest lawsuit seeking to overturn an amended state law that limits the extension of voting hours on Election Day, Common Cause Indiana said it is again having to go to court to fight voter suppression efforts that have increased since Republican supermajorities took control of both chambers of the Statehouse.
7th Circuit snuffs out injunction on Indiana smokable hemp law
An injunction prohibiting the state government from prosecuting certain uses of smokable hemp has been lifted after the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals found the prohibition was overbroad. But when the smoke clears, the appellate panel said a revised injunction may still be appropriate.
Court strikes Indiana ‘abortion complications’ reporting law
A federal judge has struck down another Indiana abortion law as unconstitutional, continuing a years-long streak of court action against Hoosier abortion legislation. However, the state also secured a victory when the same judge upheld a requirement that abortion clinics be inspected annually.
Lawsuit challenges Indiana limits on voting site extensions
An Indiana law violates the U.S. Constitution by blocking voters and candidates from asking courts to keep polling places open longer because of Election Day troubles, a voting rights group argued in a lawsuit filed Thursday.
Web Exclusive: Legislative study panels may be remote; emergency planning is focus
Changes could be coming to the way Indiana legislators convene this summer, as teleconferencing and virtual meetings become more commonplace in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cost transparency efforts advance in medicine
The Trump administration won a court ruling last month upholding its plan to require insurers and hospitals to disclose prices for common tests and procedures in a bid to promote competition and push down costs. The federal court decision comes as Indiana prepares to enact its own health care price transparency legislation next year.
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.
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.