Articles

New ‘general counsel’ position created in AG’s office

A newly created general counsel position has been announced in the office of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill. The shift in leadership positions also includes the reassignment of former Department of Child Services Director Mary Beth Bonaventura as Hill’s chief of staff.

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State court suit aims to ban Indiana death penalty

A lawsuit naming Gov. Eric Holcomb filed on behalf of a prisoner on Indiana’s death row urges a state court to issue an injunction halting capital punishment and rule that the state’s ultimate criminal penalty violates the Indiana Constitution.

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Senate ethics committee passes sexual harassment amendment

The Senate Ethics Committee unanimously passed an amendment to its internal ethics rules Monday, defining sexual harassment for the first time. The Senate and House will each draft their own ethics rules and conduct training for their respective lawmakers.

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Sell here, live here: SCOTUS reviews liquor retailer residency requirements

The requirement that alcohol permit holders live in the state where they do business is based on the simple notion that neighbors care more about the well-being of their communities than out-of-towners do. But a Tennessee case challenging that notion in the U.S. Supreme Court could spill over on similar Indiana laws.

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Records: Probe of Indiana’s AG cost taxpayers at least $26K

An investigation into allegations that Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill drunkenly groped four women at a party last March cost taxpayers at least $26,300, according to records obtained through open records requests. The bulk of the expenses, $17,861, came from the office of Inspector General Lori Torres, which opened its inquiry after requests by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb and legislative leadership.

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Multiple Indiana voting laws on trial in federal court

Indiana, like many states, has been amending and enacting new voting laws in the name of stamping out voter fraud. Lawyers and civic organizations are challenging laws and regulations that they believe are restricting the right to vote.

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High court rejects request to reinstate murderer Baer’s death sentence

The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected a request by Indiana’s attorney general’s office to reinstate the death sentence of a man convicted of killing a central Indiana woman and her 4-year-old daughter. Monday’s decision leaves in place a federal appeals court ruling that threw out Frederick Baer’s death sentence because he had ineffective legal counsel. He’ll now be resentenced by an Indiana court.

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Judge strikes lethal injection secrecy law, says lawmakers ‘overstepped’

The Indiana Department of Correction has again lost a suit in which it argues to keep secret the drugs it would use in a lethal injection. The judge in the case extraordinarily outlined how the DOC, the governor’s office, and the Indiana General Assembly appeared to directly undermine her order that the department disclose the drugs it might use in a potential execution.

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Citing opioids’ devastation, state sues Purdue Pharma

Following a two-year investigation during which time multiple Indiana cities and counties and at least 27 states filed lawsuits, Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill announced Nov. 14 his office is leading the state of Indiana into a legal battle over prescription opioids.

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