Indiana race opens up after attorney general’s troubles
Indiana Democrats are targeting the state attorney general’s race as their best chance to break the stranglehold Republicans have over state government.
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Hoosier nominee: Barrett stands on Ginsburg’s shoulders to continue Scalia’s work
Amy Coney Barrett, a devout Catholic and mother of seven, has been a favorite of social conservatives. However, her confirmation is already inciting partisan fighting, coming just weeks before the Nov. 3 presidential election. Republican senators are preparing for a swift process with her hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee scheduled for Oct. 12 and possibly her nomination being sent to the Senate floor by late October.
Former Indiana lawmakers, casino exec indicted in federal campaign finance scheme
Two former state lawmakers have been charged in federal court in Indianapolis with violations of campaign finance laws, the Indiana Southern District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday.
Trump nominates conservative Amy Coney Barrett for court
President Donald Trump on Saturday nominated Hoosier Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the United States Supreme Court, capping a dramatic reshaping of the federal judiciary that will resonate for a generation and that he hopes will provide a needed boost to his reelection effort.
Ginsburg first woman to lie in state at Capitol; Trump draws jeers at SCOTUS
Commemorations are set to begin Friday at the U.S. Capitol honoring the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the first woman in American history to lie in state at the domed building, capping days of commemoration of her extraordinary life.
Birch Bayh’s bid to end Electoral College recalled at IU McKinney lecture
At the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law 2020 Birch Bayh Lecture, journalist and author Jesse Wegman recounted the late Sen. Birch Bayh’s nearly successful attempt at abolishing the Electoral College and letting Americans elect the president directly.
Young joins Braun in support of SCOTUS nominee vote before election
Indiana Sen. Todd Young on Tuesday joined fellow Republican Sen. Mike Braun in supporting the Senate taking a confirmation vote on a nominee to replace Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg before the November election. Like Braun, Young also signaled support for 7th Circuit Judge and Notre Dame law professor Amy Coney Barrett as Ginsburg’s successor.
Thousands expected to honor Ginsburg at Supreme Court
Thousands of people are expected to pay their respects at the Supreme Court to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the women’s rights champion, leader of the court’s liberal bloc and feminist icon who died last week.
After meeting 7th Circuit’s Barrett, Trump vows SCOTUS pick by weekend
President Donald Trump met Monday with Judge Amy Coney Barrett at the White House as the conservative jurist and University of Notre Dame law professor emerged as a favorite to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. The developments portend a monumental Senate confirmation fight over objections from Democrats it’s too close to the November election.
Pressure mounts on GOP senators over filling Ginsburg seat
Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden hammered President Donald Trump and leading Senate Republicans for trying to rush a replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, as pressure mounted on senators to support or oppose a quick vote to fill the seat.
FBI director testifies antifa is an ideology, not an organization
FBI Director Chris Wray told lawmakers Thursday that antifa is an ideology, not an organization, delivering testimony that puts him at odds with President Donald Trump, who has said he would designate it a terror group.
Southern Indiana District Court opens applications for new magistrate judge
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, one of the busiest federal courts in the country, has been allotted another full-time magistrate judge position and is taking applications for the appointment, which will start April 1, 2021.
Barr takes aim at federal prosecutors, takes heat for slavery remarks
Attorney General William Barr took aim at his own Justice Department on Wednesday night, criticizing prosecutors for behaving as “headhunters” in their pursuit of prominent targets in what he said were “ill-conceived” political probes. Barr also was criticized for comparing pandemic lockdowns to slavery.
Indiana still has $1.3 billion in coronavirus relief funds left to spend
The state of Indiana is still sitting on more than $1 billion in federal coronavirus aid with a little more than three months to spend the funds.
Virus bill blocked in Senate as prospects dim for new relief
Senate Democrats scuttled a scaled-back GOP coronavirus rescue package on Thursday as the parties argued to a standstill over the size and scope of the aid, likely ending hopes for coronavirus relief before the November election.
State expects to start paying extra $300 unemployment benefit Sept. 21
Unemployed Hoosiers can expect to start seeing the additional $300 in federal supplemental weekly benefits in about two weeks, state officials said Wednesday.
House to subpoena postmaster general over mail delays
The House Oversight Committee intends to subpoena Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents about disruptions in mail delivery operations that are now central to questions over the ability to handle an onslaught of mail-in ballots expected for the November election.
Postmaster says ballots No. 1 priority, but details no plan
Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, pressed by senators over campaign season mail disruptions, said Friday he was unaware of some recent changes by his agency until they sparked a public uproar. But he also said he has no plans to restore mailboxes or high-speed sorting machines that have been removed.
Indiana expects to begin offering $300 unemployment bonuses next month
Indiana has applied for the federal government’s Lost Wages Assistance program and hopes to begin delivering the $300 supplemental weekly payments to most people receiving unemployment benefits in the next month or so.
Plaintiffs in ERA fight undeterred by lawsuit dismissal
An attempt to revive and ratify the Equal Rights Amendment was blocked earlier this month after a federal court found the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the lawsuit, but supporters of ratification are vowing to continue their fight and have filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.