Articles

ACLU launches LGBTQ resources project

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana announced Thursday its statewide launch of the LGBTQ Rights Project, an initiative that encompasses current and future work to defend and advance the rights of LGBTQ Hoosiers. 

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It’s hard to remove Indiana officials, including attorney general

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill remains defiant despite growing bipartisan pressure for him to resign after three women, including a state lawmaker, went public with claims that he drunkenly groped them at an Indianapolis bar. Should the situation devolve further, there are several — albeit rarely used — ways the Legislature could oust Hill from office.

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Alcohol Code Revision Commission to study permits, quotas

The Indiana Alcohol Code Revision Commission went back to work on Wednesday with a new leader and a new slate of alcohol-related issues to study ahead of the 2019 legislative session. Topics on the agenda included reducing the complexity and increasing the consistency of Indiana’s alcohol licensing laws, evaluating the permit quota structure, and studying over-consumption and its causes and effects.

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Lawyers attack memo, say Hill considering defamation lawsuit

Repeatedly claiming “false and malicious” statements were included in a confidential memo containing allegations of sexual misconduct by Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, Indianapolis attorney Kevin Betz announced he is preparing a defamation lawsuit on the AG’s behalf. Betz and his law partner Sandra Blevins held a press conference Wednesday in the lobby of their Indianapolis law firm, Betz & Blevins, to announce the possible suit.

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Supreme Court remands sentence modification cases after new statute takes effect

The Indiana Supreme Court has remanded two cases that it previously granted transfer to back to the Indiana Court of Appeals for reconsideration in light of a new statute addressing permissible sentence modifications. The cases of State v. Stafford and Rodriguez v. State were sent back to the lower appellate court on Thursday after the 2018 version of Senate Enrolled Act 64 took effect on July 1.

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AG Hill contests special prosecutor role in groping investigation

Lawyers for Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill have filed court papers challenging the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate whether he drunkenly groped a lawmaker and three legislative staffers. A document filed in Marion Superior Court also challenges the authority of the state’s Inspector General to build a case against him.

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Ratcheting up defiance, Hill releases email from third accuser

Embattled Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is doubling down on his criticisms of the groping allegations against him and the stories of the alleged victims, releasing an email from one of the victims that he says shows intentional coordination of the victims’ stories.

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Indiana online sales tax can take effect after SCOTUS ruling

By putting an end to the bright line rule allowing the collection of sales tax only from companies with a physical presence in a state, the United States Supreme Court decision in South Dakota v. Wayfair, et al. created a new task for states: setting a threshold that online retailers must meet before a sales tax can be imposed. In Indiana, that task is already complete thanks to a 2017 law intentionally passed to spur SCOTUS action.

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Defiant Hill: ‘I never dreamed this could happen to me’

In today’s world, the standard for conviction of sexual misconduct allegations has become guilty, and “who cares if you’re innocent.” That’s according to Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill, who publicly spoke out for the first time Monday after last week’s allegations that he groped a lawmaker and behaved inappropriately toward multiple legislative staffers.

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Indiana GOP leaders call on Hill to resign as lawmaker comes forward with groping claims

Amid calls  for Republican Attorney General Curtis Hill to resign amid groping allegations made by four women, including a lawmaker, at an Indianapolis bar, the lawmaker in question has come forward to share her side of the story. Rep. Mara Candelaria Reardon, D-Munster, said Friday that Hill slid his hands down her back and grabbed her bare buttocks at a party on March 15.

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Call for AG Hill to resign arises amid harassment investigation

Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill was investigated this year after four women claimed he touched them inappropriately at a bar. Hill was investigated by the same law firm that recently drew an ethics complaint for its handling of a separate investigation that cleared a powerful Ohio lawmaker. Meanwhile, Indiana’s Democratic Party leader has called on Hill to resign.

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House speaker ‘disturbed’ DCS failed to act on past reports

Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said Monday he was “disturbed” after finding out the state’s child welfare agency failed to take action after five different reviews conducted in recent years found problems at the agency. The revelation was included in a sixth report on the Department of Child Services, which was released in June by a consultant hired by Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb.

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