Articles

Judge lets Tippecanoe Right to Life free speech case proceed

A Tippecanoe County anti-abortion group’s free speech lawsuit against the local public transportation company will continue after a district court judge denied Greater Lafayette Public Transportation Corporation’s motion for judgment on the pleadings.

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Bitter fight over Kavanaugh shadows a conservative court

The moment conservatives have dreamed about for decades has arrived with Brett Kavanaugh joining the Supreme Court. But with it comes the shadow of a bitter confirmation fight that is likely to hang over the court as it takes on divisive issues, especially those dealing with politics and women’s rights.

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Senate concludes Kavanaugh hearing; confirmation likely

After two marathon days questioning Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, senators concluded his confirmation hearing Friday by listening to others talk about him — friends stressing his fairness and warmth but opponents warning he’d roll back abortion rights and shield President Donald Trump. Senators on the Judiciary Committee are likely to vote on Kavanaugh’s confirmation on Sept. 20 with a vote by the full Senate the following week.

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Ball State settles free speech suit with campus pro-life group

Ball State University has agreed to pay more than $12,000 and to revise its student activity fund allocation guidelines as part of a settlement with a pro-life student organization that sued the school earlier this summer for alleged free speech and equal protection violations.

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Confidential document disputes dominate Kavanaugh hearing

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation tumbled into highly charged arguing Thursday over whether key documents were being withheld, and one Democrat risked Senate discipline by releasing confidential material. A newly disclosed email revealed that President Donald Trump’s pick once suggested Roe v. Wade was not settled law.

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What to watch for as senators consider Kavanaugh nomination

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is set for a week of marathon hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Republicans are focusing on Kavanaugh’s 12-year career as an appellate court judge, while Democrats are expected to grill the 53-year-old conservative on hot-button issues that could swing the court’s majority rightward.

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Indiana ALJ to hear appeal for proposed abortion clinic

A federal judge will hold a two-day hearing this week on a Texas-based group’s appeal of Indiana officials’ rejection of its application to open an abortion clinic in South Bend. Indianapolis Administrative Law Judge Clare Deitchman will determine Wednesday and Thursday whether to grant Whole Woman’s Health Alliance’s appeal after the state Department of Health denied the group’s application for an abortion clinic license in January.

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Prosecutors cite ethics rules to Hill in abortion lawsuit

Three Indiana prosecutors are renewing their calls for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill to concede on their behalf the merits of lawsuit that blocked a 2018 abortion law and told the AG's staff in an email that Hill is obligated under the Indiana Rules of Professional Conduct to follow their directive as his clients. Hill, however, maintains he is authorized to defend the statute on behalf of his "ultimate client:" the people of Indiana.

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Advocates: Abortion ruling continues unconstitutional trend

As the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana and Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky marked yet another legal victory in a challenge to an Indiana abortion law, the leaders of the organizations say they hope state lawmakers will begin to see what they say is the futility of the annual passage of abortion-restricting legislation.

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Abortion experts say Kavanaugh can’t end Roe alone

As the U.S. Senate gears up for Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings and citizens continue discussing the potential impact the D.C. Circuit judge could have on the U.S. Supreme Court, one issue continually rises to the top of the dialogues: abortion rights and the possibility of overturning Roe v. Wade.

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Supreme Court enjoys relatively high public confidence

The next Supreme Court justice will join the bench at a time when the public has more confidence in the high court than in Congress or the presidency. A Gallup survey in June found 37 percent of Americans have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in the court, while another 42 percent have “some” confidence. Only 18 percent have little or no confidence in the court.

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Judge blocks latest Indiana abortion restriction

For the third consecutive year, an Indiana law that would have raised restrictions on abortion rights was blocked by a federal judge. Abortion rights supporters say they expect more such attempts in the future, while the continuity of those federal rights has suddenly become an open question.

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Planned Parenthood closes Fort Wayne center, citing harassment

Planned Parenthood has closed its health center in Indiana’s second-largest city, blaming intimidation and harassment by supporters of a local anti-abortion group. Planned Parenthood said it closed its Fort Wayne health center Monday following growing harassment and intimidation of the center’s staff that it blamed on supporters of Allen County Right to Life.

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ACLU, PPINK expect Indiana to keep passing abortion laws

Speaking at a press conference about Thursday’s federal court order stopping another abortion law passed by the Indiana Legislature, ACLU of Indiana legal director Ken Falk noted this is not the first time the Statehouse has passed a bill attempting to limit abortions. 

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