House to vote on election law overhaul in response to Jan. 6
The House will vote on an overhaul of a centuries-old election law, an effort to prevent presidential candidates from trying to subvert the popular will.
Law & Politics
Articles
Court sides with AG, strikes prosecutor’s attorneys in abortion ban challenge
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has notched a victory in his fight against the Marion County prosecutor, with the Monroe Circuit Court agreeing the state’s top lawyer can represent the defendants in the lawsuit challenging the state’s new abortion law.
Mears says attorney general not representing Marion County’s interest in abortion lawsuit
In a battle that has broken out in one of Indiana’s abortion lawsuits, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears is asserting Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is overstepping his authority and making allegations about the quality of work of the AG’s office.
Democrats punt same-sex marriage vote until after election
Democrats are punting a vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages until after the November midterm elections, pulling back just days after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to put the Senate on the record on the issue “in the coming weeks.”
House OKs bill to curb political interference with census
The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday intended to make it harder for presidents to interfere with the once-a-decade census that determines political power and federal funding.
First day of new abortion law brings diverse reactions
With Indiana’s new abortion ban in effect starting today, the state’s Democratic senators, representatives and candidates spent the day decrying the law passed by the Legislature earlier this summer while Republicans remained mostly quiet.
Abortion ban legislation adds to political challenge for GOP
Don Bolduc didn’t have much time to celebrate winning the Republican nomination for Senate in New Hampshire on Wednesday before he and other swing-state GOP candidates were on the defensive.
GOP’s Graham unveils nationwide abortion ban after 15 weeks
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham introduced a nationwide abortion ban Tuesday, sending shockwaves through both parties and igniting fresh debate on a fraught issue weeks before the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress.
Rokita asks 7th Circuit to lift injunction against transgender girls’ sports law
To deter others from pursuing similar actions, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has appealed an Indiana Southern District Court injunction allowing a 10-year-old transgender student in Indianapolis to participate on her school’s softball team.
Marion Co. prosecutor Republican candidate shares public safety plan
Using a former mass shooting site as a backdrop, Marion County prosecutor candidate Cyndi Carrasco on Wednesday unveiled her plan for improving public safety in Indianapolis.
No longer young, ‘dreamers’ uneasily watch a legal challenge
“Dreamers,” long a symbol of immigrant youth, are increasingly easing into middle age as eligibility requirements have been frozen since 2012, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was introduced.
Ginni Thomas emails urged new 2020 electors in Wisconsin
The wife of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas contacted at least two Wisconsin state lawmakers, including the chair of the Senate elections committee, urging them to overturn President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win in the tightly contested state.
Trump documents: Judge to hear arguments on outside expert
A federal judge awaited arguments Thursday on whether to appoint an outside legal expert to review government records seized by the FBI last month in a search of former President Donald Trump’s Florida home.
Improving civic education by informing Hoosier voters: The Indiana Citizen preparing to launch 2022 voter guide
As midterm elections approach, The Indiana Citizen, an initiative focused on voter participation, is shifting its efforts from getting more Hoosiers to the polls to providing information on candidates, issues and registering people to vote.
Legality of student loan plan relies on pandemic, 2003 law
The Biden administration is tying its authority to cancel student debt to the coronavirus pandemic and to a 2003 law aimed at providing help to members of the military. Legal challenges are expected.
Memo sheds light on decision to clear Trump in Russia probe
Justice Department officials who evaluated then-President Donald Trump’s actions during the Russia investigation concluded that nothing he did, including firing the FBI director, rose to the level of obstruction of justice and that there was no precedent for a prosecution, according to a memo released Wednesday.
Idaho can’t enforce abortion ban in medical emergencies
A federal judge in Idaho has barred the state from enforcing a strict abortion ban in medical emergencies over concerns that it violates a federal law on emergency care.
Judge blocks enforcement of Biden abortion guidance in Texas
A federal judge in Texas temporarily blocked the federal government from enforcing a legal interpretation that would require hospitals in the state to provide abortion services if the life of the mother is at risk.
Court puts on hold Graham’s testimony in Ga. election probe
A federal appeals court on Sunday agreed to temporarily put on hold a lower court’s order requiring that U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham testify before a special grand jury that’s investigating possible illegal efforts to overturn then-President Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss in Georgia.
Panel to recommend what could be next for marijuana
Marijuana advocates have little hope of persuading a legislative study committee to recommend legalization of the drug in Indiana this year, but they are hopeful the committee’s work could set up a regulatory system to oversee its decriminalization in the not-too-distant future.