‘Ordered freedom’: AG Rokita sets agenda focused on ‘liberty’
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita recently sat down with Indiana Lawyer to answer questions about his first 100 days in office and his agenda for the next four years.
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Web Exclusive: COA considering legislation limiting child sex abuse victim depositions
A one-year-old law is before the Indiana Court of Appeals, which is considering whether the Legislature properly placed restrictions on when defense attorneys can take a deposition of a minor child alleged to be a victim of a sex crime.
After veto override, governor turns to courts
In the legal brawl between Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly over who has the power to call the Statehouse into a special session, the Marion Superior Court will first have to determine which lawyers are actually representing the executive branch.
Suit seeks direct election of Lake County judges, says merit selection discriminatory
A federal lawsuit filed by the Democratic mayor of Hammond and a Lake County attorney argues that Indiana’s judicial nominating system that appoints judges in the state’s four most diverse counties is racially discriminatory. Judges in Lake County should be directly elected or judges statewide should be appointed through merit selection, the suit says.
Critics say Indiana COVID-19 law allows nursing home neglect
Advocates for nursing home residents say they worry a new Indiana law expanding COVID-19 liability protections for health care providers will effectively block many lawsuits over neglect and substandard treatment that weren’t caused by the pandemic.
Indiana health officials plead with Legislature not to overturn Holcomb veto
Some of Indiana’s top public health leaders are pleading with the Legislature not to overturn Gov. Eric Holcomb’s veto of a bill they say would dramatically weaken the authority of local health officials during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hamilton County to get new court, 4 counties to get new magistrates
Five Indiana counties will get additional judicial resources after Gov. Eric Holcomb signed legislation allowing for additional magistrates and courts. One county, however, will lose a court that had previously been approved.
Holcomb signs bill recognizing Pokagon tribal courts
Indiana courts will soon be required to recognize court orders from the Pokagon Band of the Potawatomi Indians after Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a bill extending full faith and credit to the tribal courts.
Democrats revise voting bill but Senate obstacles remain
Democrats are revising key sections of their sweeping legislation to overhaul U.S. elections, hoping to address concerns raised by state and local election officials even as they face daunting odds of passing the bill through Congress.
Lawmakers to return to Statehouse with chance to override two vetoes
Lawmakers are set to return to the Indiana Statehouse on Monday to make technical corrections — a session in which they could also vote to overturn two vetoes by Gov. Eric Holcomb.
Holcomb vetoes bill that would cut power of local health officials
In another pushback against fellow Republicans, Gov. Eric Holcomb vetoed a bill on Tuesday that he said would have hampered the ability of local health officials to respond to emergencies.
AG Rokita files motion to strike governor’s lawsuit
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita filed a motion to strike Friday to have the Marion Superior Court toss the governor’s lawsuit over executive powers, arguing in part, “the Governor cannot merely sue the legislature over laws he does not like.”
Governor signs controversial wetlands bill into law
Gov. Eric Holcomb signed a controversial wetlands bill into law on Thursday, disappointing numerous environmental, conservation and civic groups that had spoken out against the legislation.
Indiana ‘abortion reversal’ bill signed by governor
Doctors in Indiana would be required to tell women undergoing drug-induced abortions about a disputed treatment for potentially stopping the abortion process under a measure that’s been signed into law.
Census Bureau: 70% of voters cast ballots early or by mail
More than two-thirds of all U.S. citizens of the voting age population participated in the 2020 presidential election, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau report, and 69% of those cast ballots by mail or early in-person voting — methods that Republicans in some states are curtailing.
Holcomb signs bill changing Lake, St. Joe JNCs
The structure of judicial selection in Lake and St. Joseph counties will soon change now that Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed controversial legislation changing the composition of the judicial selection panels in the northern Indiana counties.
Lawyers question Rokita’s actions in lawsuit filed by governor
Attorney General Todd Rokita’s move to insert himself into the dispute between Gov. Eric Holcomb and the Indiana General Assembly over executive power is being challenged by members of the legal profession who see the state’s top lawyer as violating his oath and overstepping his authority.
Biden’s declaration: America’s democracy ‘is rising anew’
President Joe Biden declared that “America is rising anew” as he called for an expansion of federal programs to drive the economy past the coronavirus pandemic and broadly extend the social safety net on a scale not seen in decades.
Indiana’s top elections official admits fundraising error
Indiana’s top elections official has acknowledged violating state political fundraising rules with the launch of her 2022 election campaign.
What to watch during Biden’s 1st big speech to Congress
President Joe Biden is putting the finishing touches on his first address to a joint session of Congress, a prime-time speech on Wednesday night on the eve of his 100th day in office.