Weaver: On transparency, Gov.-elect Braun should lead by example
He can start by protecting the role of the state’s public access counselor despite the Legislature’s moves to weaken the post.
Indiana public access counselor
Articles
Holcomb signs bill killing Gary’s gunmaker lawsuit, but two others hang in the balance
Two pieces of legislation remain unsigned—one defining and banning antisemitism within the Hoosier public education system and another constraining the state’s public access chief.
Hoosier lawmakers decline to remove public records chief restrictions
The proposed changes largely neuter the public access counselor position and were inserted into an unrelated bill with little warning or public testimony.
Bill seeks to help local governments define decorum for public meetings
The city of Winchester in eastern Indiana has fewer than 5,000 residents but one glaring problem in the eyes of local elected officials: people purposefully disrupting government meetings and deliberately disregarding decorum.
Boswell and Chinn: Public agency considerations in an era of engaged citizenry
By utilizing some strategic forethought and planning, public agencies can help protect board members from harsh public scrutiny while simultaneously adhering to the important tenets of public transparency.
Charter group: IPS decision to sue state violated open meetings law
The Indianapolis Public Schools board violated the state’s public meetings law when it approved a lawsuit against the state last week, a charter group has alleged.
IN Supreme Court amends rules of access to court records
The Indiana Supreme Court has amended the Rules on Access to Court Records to exclude from public access, if court ordered, an entire case that the clerk of court has opened under the wrong case type.
Counselor: Fort Wayne violated law by withholding Henry arrest records
Fort Wayne officials violated Indiana’s public records laws by not releasing police body camera footage and other records related to the drunken driving arrest of the city’s mayor, the state’s public access counselor says.
Guest column: Indiana PAC opinion on IU trustees denies transparency
I have observed Indiana University’s Board of Trustees since I was a student journalist in the 1980s. The trustees have always done as much of their business as possible in secret and outside public view.
Requests for ‘cast vote record’ create havoc for state officials: Hoosier voters demand access to 2020 election materials
Near the end of this past summer, county clerks across Indiana became inundated with demands from individual voters that officials provide copies of their oaths and bonds and release voting data from the 2020 general election.
Without HHC, §1983 dispute could still proceed
Even if the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County follows the request by community groups and private citizens to withdraw its case from the U.S. Supreme Court, the fight over 42 U.S.C. § 1983 could still appear before the nine justices this term.
HHC sued for Open Door violation in Talevski case
A lawsuit has been filed against the members of the Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County Board of Trustees for violating Indiana’s Open Door Law in appealing a nursing home dispute to the U.S. Supreme Court.
HHC found to have violated Open Door Law in petitioning SCOTUS
As the Health and Hospital Corp. of Marion County prepares for oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court in a case that has attracted national attention, the organization is now having to defend its decision to seek a ruling from the nine justices.
AG Rokita reaches resolution with political pundit over press conference access
Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita and political pundit Abdul-Hakim Shabazz have ended their public battle that began at a press conference about robocalls with a one-page motion to voluntarily dismiss the lawsuit and pay their own legal fees.
Immigration group drops suit against Clay Co. officials regarding jail project that could house more ICE detainees
A lawsuit alleging Clay County officials failed to provide transparency in developing plans for a possible expansion of the Clay County Justice Center in Brazil, which houses U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees, has been voluntarily dismissed.
Public access counselor: IU violated Open Door Law with McRobbie contract
The Indiana University Board of Trustees violated the Indiana Open Door Law last spring when it approved a contract for more than $500,000 for former university President Michael McRobbie, outside of a public meeting, for consulting services after his retirement, according to the Indiana public access counselor.
COA upholds disclosure of voting integrity docs, also orders secretary of state to pay appellate attorney fees
A nonprofit that secured judgment against the Indiana secretary of state after documents related to election security were withheld has also been awarded appellate attorney fees.
Public Access Counselor Britt entering 9th year after reappointment
This past October, Luke Britt was reappointed by Gov. Eric Holcomb for a second time for another four-year term as Indiana’s public access counselor. Britt is the state’s seventh PAC and is in his ninth year in the role.