Trump asks Supreme Court to unfreeze border wall money
The Trump administration on Friday asked the Supreme Court to lift a freeze on Pentagon money it wants to use to build sections of a border wall with Mexico.
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Holcomb launches 2020 re-election run with big advantages
Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb brandished his front-runner status Saturday as he kicked off his re-election campaign with a rally extolling the state’s economy while brushing off any criticism of his record.
Democrats acknowledge questioning Mueller ‘will not be easy’
Some are watching old video of his previous testimony. Others are closely re-reading his 448-page report. And almost all are worrying about how they’ll make the most of the short time they’ll have for questioning. Robert Mueller, the Democrats know, will be tough to crack.
Hill announces $220K fundraising haul, but not re-election bid
Whether Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is officially running for re-election next year has yet to be announced, but the embattled AG claimed his political action committee scored a record fundraising haul in the past two months.
Newspaper sues AG Hill, chief deputy for private email address used for public business
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill and his top deputy are facing a lawsuit from Indiana’s largest newspaper, which is urging the court to require the public officials turn over private email addresses used to conduct official business. The Indianapolis Star and reporter Ryan Martin are suing Hill and chief deputy Aaron Negangard under the Access to Public Records Act.
Supreme Court rolls out updated child support calculators
Practitioners and parents alike now have access to updated child support calculators, the Indiana Supreme Court announced Tuesday. The new calculators were updated to comply with House Enrolled Act 1520, which changes the conditions of terminating a parent’s child support duty.
Latest ‘Obamacare’ court battle plays out in New Orleans
The fate of former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law, and its coverage and insurance protections for millions of Americans, is again being argued before a panel of judges — this time a federal appeals court in New Orleans. At issue in a hearing scheduled Tuesday is whether Congress effectively rendered it unconstitutional in 2017 when it zeroed out the tax imposed on those who chose not to buy insurance.
Judge strikes down rule requiring drug ads to reveal prices
A federal judge Monday blocked a major White House initiative on prescription drug costs, saying the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to require drugmakers to disclose their prices in TV ads. The lawsuit was brought by three major manufacturers: Merck, Amgen and Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly.
AG candidate calls for ‘principled, conservative’ leadership
John Westercamp, an attorney with Bose McKinney & Evans LLP, is the first announced candidate for next year’s Republican nomination to become the Indiana Attorney General as the political prospects for embattled AG Curtis Hill remain unclear.
US won’t impose rule to protect against coal ash spill costs
The Trump administration said Tuesday that it won’t require electric utilities to show they have money to clean up hazardous spills from power plants despite a history of toxic coal ash releases contaminating rivers and aquifers.
Trump insists he’s not dropping census citizenship question effort
President Donald Trump is insisting that he is not dropping efforts to include a citizenship question on the upcoming 2020 census, even as the U.S. Census Bureau has started the process of printing the questionnaire without the controversial query.
House committee files lawsuit over Trump tax returns
A House committee has filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking President Donald Trump’s tax returns.
DCS director claims lawsuit is ‘misleading and harmful’
Claiming outside advocates were relying on “an inflammatory and outdated account,” Indiana Department of Child Services director Terry Stigdon released a video statement Monday in response to the lawsuit filed last week charging the state agency with inflicting further harm on children entering the foster care system.
Indianapolis attorney Bennett ends tenure as Election Commission chair
Indianapolis attorney Bryce Bennett, a founding partner with Riley Bennett & Egloff, has resigned as chair of the Indiana Election Commission effective Monday, according to a statement from the firm. Bennett has served two four-year terms under his appointments from Govs. Mitch Daniels, Mike Pence and Eric Holcomb.
Allen County commissioners vote to ban swingers clubs
Commissioners in northeastern Indiana’s Allen County have voted to implement rules that would prohibit swingers clubs and other businesses involving live sex acts.
Many new Indiana laws take effect today
Several new state laws take effect Monday, from a required high school state government test to allowing wrongfully incarcerated individuals to collect $50,000 a year.
Judge blocks Indiana law banning second-trimester abortion procedure
A federal judge late Friday issued an injunction blocking a new Indiana law from taking effect that would have prohibited the most common procedure used to perform second-trimester abortions. Senior Judge Sarah Evans Barker’s 53-page order blocks enactment of House Enrolled Act 1211, which she noted banned “an abortion procedure known to medicine as ‘dilation and evacuation’… and referred to by its political opponents as ‘dismemberment abortion.’”
Cass County prosecutor elected to lead IPAC board
A new chair has been chosen to lead the Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council’s Board of Directors following an election that took place last week.
High court declines to overrule cases on federal regulatory powers
The U.S. Supreme Court is declining to overrule two past cases that had been criticized by conservatives as giving unelected officials vast lawmaking power.
Court: Stealing official’s husband can’t gain from fraudulent land transfer
The husband of the former Owen County auditor, who was found to have purchased about $346,000 worth of personal items with county-issued credit cards, must repay the full amount of money he received from the sale of land that his wife fraudulently transferred to him.