Articles

Report: Indiana opioid prescriptions fell by 35% since 2013

A national report says opioid prescriptions in Indiana have decreased by 35.1 percent over five years. The American Medical Association Opioid Task Force 2019 Progress Report shows Indiana’s reduction in opioid prescriptions from 2013 to 2018 is two percentage points higher than the national average of 33 percent.

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Neighbors ask for rehearing on Right to Farm Act dispute

Supporters and opponents are mobilizing after the neighbors of an 8,000-hog farm in Hendricks County asked the Indiana Court of Appeals to reconsider its earlier ruling that found their nuisance claim based on the “noxious odors” from the farming operation was barred under Indiana’s Right to Farm Act.

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Judge blocks Fort Wayne ‘pay to play’ ordinance

An Allen County judge has enjoined Fort Wayne from enforcing an ordinance designed to curb “pay-to-play” arrangements that allegedly led to city contracts for businesses that contribute to local candidates’ campaigns.

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Gary’s gun lawsuit gets revived with COA ruling

Nearly 20 years after it was originally filed, the city of Gary’s lawsuit against firearm manufacturers and dealers is again moving forward after being revived for a third time on appeal, this time focusing on potential unlawful conduct.

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IPAC chief Powell stepping down in October; successor chosen

A new leader has been selected to head the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council as longtime executive director David Powell announced his retirement from the role Thursday. Powell has been a leading Statehouse voice advocating on criminal law matters for nearly a decade.

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Holcomb ceremonially signs victims rights bill

A victims rights bill inspired by a mother attempting to protect her underage daughter from a sexual predator’s grooming tactics was ceremonially signed Wednesday by Gov. Eric Holcomb, with support from the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council.

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7th Circuit vacates ruling in light of new uniform-rental law

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has vacated in part a Southern District Court’s decision, asking it to reconsider whether an amended Indiana wage-deduction law could be retroactively applied to claims made against a former employer for withholding employee wages to rent work uniforms.

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Indiana fetal disposition law upheld by U.S. Supreme Court

Indiana’s law mandating that fetal remains be either buried or cremated has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in a per curiam opinion issued Tuesday that found the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals had “clearly erred” in overturning the law. However, in the same opinion, the Supreme Court let stand a ruling which blocked another Indiana law that would have prevented abortions based on the gender, race or genetic abnormality of the fetus.  

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‘Red flag law’ changes narrow language, information gaps

Indiana is considered a leader in the red flag law movement that allows firearms to be confiscated from people deemed dangerous. But with language that some experts considered overly broad and potentially unconstitutional, the Indiana General Assembly revisited that legislation, known as the Jake Laird Law, during the 2019 legislative session.

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Crime sentences, vaping tax up for Indiana lawmaker panels

Indiana lawmakers will be looking at prescription drug prices, crime sentences and taxes on vaping liquids in the coming months. Those are among the more than 40 topics that leaders have assigned to committees ahead of next year’s General Assembly session.

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Gary lawsuit against gun makers may proceed, COA rules

A unanimous appellate panel has revived the city of Gary’s lawsuit against 10 handgun manufacturers, enabling the municipality to survive the Indiana General Assembly’s attempt to derail the legal action by amending the state’s Immunity Statute in 2015.

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ACLU, state debate ‘alternatives’ to banned abortion procedure

As abortion rights supporters and opponents nationwide clash over legislation restricting abortions in several states, Indiana is beginning yet another legal battle over a law that could limit Hoosiers’ abortion access. This year’s fight is centered on second-trimester abortions and whether alternative procedures make banning a specific abortion procedure permissible.

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Alabama governor invokes God in banning nearly all abortions

Alabama's Republican governor has signed the most stringent abortion legislation in the nation, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. The development comes as two Indiana petitions challenging abortion laws linger before the U.S. Supreme Court.

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