Marion, Lake, Monroe prosecutors won’t defend abortion law
Three Indiana prosecutors in counties with Planned Parenthood facilities have announced they will not defend the state in a recently filed lawsuit challenging a 2018 abortion law.
Law & Politics
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Travel ban case is justices’ first dive into Trump policy
The Supreme Court has so far had little to say about Donald Trump’s time as president, even as the nation has moved from one Trump controversy to another. That’s about to change.
ACLU, Planned Parenthood sue over abortion complications reporting law
Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky is once again challenging an Indiana abortion law it says is “a cruel intimidation tactic,” this time taking aim at a 2018 piece of legislation that was signed into law less than a month ago.
Indiana collecting more DNA samples after new law
A new Indiana law is adding thousands of new samples to the state’s DNA database. The Indiana State Police lab has had an average of 4,200 DNA samples tested each month this year through March, up from 1,100 a month last year.
7th Circuit nominees get bipartisan support in committee vote
With 21-to-0 vote, Judge Amy St. Eve and Michael Scudder, the nominees for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, were approved Thursday by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Their nominations now proceed to the Senate for a confirmation vote at date to be determined.
Expansion of DNA database could help catch Delphi teens’ killer
A broader DNA database is helping police find suspects to unsolved crimes. Perhaps soon it might mean finding the man who killed Delphi teens Libby German and Abby Williams.
Supreme Court strikes down as vague part of immigration law
The Supreme Court said Tuesday that part of a federal law that makes it easier to deport immigrants who have been convicted of crimes is too vague to be enforced.
Trump pardons former Cheney aide Scooter Libby
President Donald Trump issued a full pardon Friday to I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a former top aide to Vice President Dick Cheney.
Law limiting short-term rental regulations by cities may face test from Carmel, others
As the popularity of short-term rental platforms such as Airbnb and VRBO has increased, local governments across the country have stepped in to regulate when and where their residents can lease their homes to temporary guests. Indiana cities have been no exception, but the 2018 General Assembly limited the extent to which municipalities can regulate the local short-term rental industry.
Indiana woman wins $35 million verdict in pelvic mesh lawsuit
A northern Indiana jury returned a $35 million verdict March 8 for a woman injured by a transvaginal mesh implant in a trial that is believed to the seventh mesh lawsuit against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary Ethicon, Inc.
As state allows for professional licenses, long-term national DACA solution remains elusive
With all this uncertainty, one thing DACA recipients won’t have to worry about anymore — in Indiana, at least — is obtaining state professional licenses. Gov. Eric Holcomb signed Senate Enrolled Act 419 on March 21, which allowed “Dreamers” to apply for professional certifications.
IU McKinney profs research opioid effects on law, policy
Officially announced in February, Grand Challenges is a 16-project program aimed at preventing, reducing and treating addictions throughout the Hoosier state.
Autonomous vehicle regulation stalls out in statehouse
Gov. Eric Holcomb last month called for a special session of the Indiana General Assembly to address some of the unfinished business, but self-driving cars will have to wait.
Emails: Conservatives slammed Pence in 2015 for changing RFRA law
Then-Indiana Gov. Mike Pence faced a firestorm of criticism three years ago after signing a “religious freedom” law critics decried as anti-gay. Now, emails released this week illustrate similar backlash from fellow conservatives when the eventual vice president agreed to change the state’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act in the face of widespread boycott threats.
Fishers renews $240K legal deal with congressman’s wife
The Indianapolis suburb of Fishers has renewed a $20,000-a-month, part-time legal services contract with the wife of Republican Senate candidate Luke Messer.
Another key redistricting case goes in front of high court
The Supreme Court of the United States has already heard a major case about political line-drawing that has the potential to reshape American politics. Now, before even deciding that one, the court is taking up another similar case.
Increase in LSC funding likely to boost Indiana Legal Services
With the just-passed federal spending bill putting an extra $25 million into the Legal Services Corporation’s coffers, Indiana Legal Services is anticipating a raise in funding to help with its work in providing civil legal assistance to indigent individuals and families across the Hoosier state.
Kennedy-King Park legislation passes Congress
The Indianapolis park where Robert F. Kennedy pleaded for peace and calmed the crowd after the assassination of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. is a presidential signature away from getting national recognition.
Mueller examining Cambridge Analytica, Trump campaign ties
Special counsel Robert Mueller is scrutinizing the connections between President Donald Trump’s campaign and the data mining firm Cambridge Analytica, which has come under fierce criticism over reports that it swiped the data of more than 50 million Facebook users to sway elections.
Employees’ actions outside the workplace increasingly coming to employers’ attention
The question of when leisure time becomes the boss’ business popped into the public conversation after the protest last summer in Charlottesville, Virginia. Photos of the individuals who marched with white supremacist groups were circulated online, and several lost their jobs as a result.