Attorney Jennifer Ruby named state public access chief

Indiana Gov. Mike Braun on Friday announced business-focused Indianapolis attorney Jennifer Ruby will take over the state’s vacant public access counselor role.

“Transparency for Hoosiers is important for a healthy state government, and Jennifer Ruby brings decades of legal expertise to serve Hoosiers as Public Access Counselor,” Braun said in a news release. “She will do a great job promoting public trust through transparency and accountability.”

Ruby said she was “honored” to be chosen for the job — and to “uphold the values of government transparency and accountability.”

“Public access is essential for effective governance, and I look forward to serving our state in this role,” she added.

Ruby is president, CEO and lead attorney at her Indianapolis-based firm, Ruby Law. She counsels clients on estate and succession planning; real estate issues; contracts and “general business issues,” according to her LinkedIn — although her “favorite areas of interest” are identified as life sciences, information technology, education and business development. She also is a mediator.

Ruby holds a law degree and a master’s degree in planning from Indiana University, and an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Purdue University.

The Office of the Public Access Counselor provides guidance on state public records and open meeting laws: it responds to informal inquiries on the laws, issues non-binding advisory opinions, recommends improvements to the Indiana General Assembly, educates officials and Hoosiers on rights and responsibilities, and more, according to the office’s website.

The General Assembly created the office in 1999.

Until last year, the officeholder served four-year terms — and could only be fired “for cause.” But lawmakers changed that during the last legislative session.

Now, the governor can remove the public access counselor at any time — leaving the appointee vulnerable to dismissal for opinions that powerful state leaders dislike. The officeholder is also now limited to using only the law’s “plain text” and official court orders in writing those opinions.

Indiana’s longest-serving public access counselor, Luke Britt, stepped down in February, several months after the changes went into effect. His resignation came after 12 years; he was first appointed in 2013 by Republican former Gov. Mike Pence and reappointed twice by former Gov. Eric Holcomb, also a Republican.

Britt told WFYI that his role was “fundamentally changed.”

“I’d always said that if I found that my voice was getting ineffective, it was time to leave. And that might have been my sign with that legislation,” he said.