Supreme Court wrestles with New Jersey pipeline case
The Supreme Court on Wednesday wrestled with how to resolve a clash between the state of New Jersey and a pipeline company over land the company needs for a natural gas pipeline.
Joe Biden
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What to watch during Biden’s 1st big speech to Congress
President Joe Biden is putting the finishing touches on his first address to a joint session of Congress, a prime-time speech on Wednesday night on the eve of his 100th day in office.
Indianapolis attorney’s leap to classroom highlights role, value of adjunct law faculty
Environmental attorney Kathryn Watson was already scheduled to be a guest speaker in the clean air law class during Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law’s spring semester when the professor called to ask if she would be willing to shoulder a bit more responsibility.
Web Exclusive: Supreme Court commission goes beyond ‘court packing’
President Joe Biden has created the Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, a group tasked with studying court reforms ranging from the number of justices to their tenure to their jurisdiction. But will the work of the commission lead to sweeping reforms?
House seat numbers can’t be released before next week
The numbers used for deciding how many congressional seats each state gets can’t be released before Monday, according to an agreement that settles litigation between the U.S. Census Bureau and a coalition of local governments and civil rights groups.
Indiana lawmakers approve state budget, finish session
Indiana lawmakers wrapped a legislative session conducted under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday with nearly unanimous backing of a more robust state budget than they had imagined a few months ago.
Pelosi floats new proposal for bipartisan Jan. 6 commission
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is renewing her push for a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, floating a new proposal to Republicans that would evenly split the panel’s membership between the two parties.
Whistleblower blasts Biden pick for key DOJ job over deal in sex case
President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the U.S. Justice Department’s criminal division is facing new scrutiny over a plea deal he brokered with a Louisiana district attorney who was accused of coercing sexual favors from as many as two dozen women.
After George Floyd ex-cop’s conviction, AG Garland opens Minneapolis police probe
Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to announce that the Justice Department is opening a sweeping investigation into policing practices in Minneapolis a day after a former officer was convicted in the killing of George Floyd.
Biden praying for ‘the right verdict’ in Chauvin trial
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he was “praying the verdict is the right verdict” in the trial of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. He said he believed the case involving the death of George Floyd, which has gone to the jury and put the nation on edge, was “overwhelming.”
Justice Barrett selling South Bend home
The South Bend home where Justice Amy Coney Barrett, her husband, Jesse, and their seven children have lived for 19 years is being sold as the family prepares to relocate to Washington, D.C., to be closer to her work at the U.S. Supreme Court. She isn’t the only Hoosier pulling up stakes in South Bend to go serve in the nation’s capital.
After outcry, Biden plans to lift refugee cap in May
President Joe Biden plans to lift his predecessor’s historically low cap on refugees by next month, after initially moving only to expand the eligibility criteria for resettlements and getting swift blowback from allies in return.
SCOTUS rejects lingering 2020 election challenge case
The United States Supreme Court on Monday said it will not hear a case out of Pennsylvania related to the 2020 election, a case that had lingered while similar election challenges had already been rejected by the justices.
Guitarist from Indiana first suspect to plead guilty in Capitol riot
A 53-year-old heavy metal guitarist from Columbus on Friday became the first defendant to plead guilty to federal charges in connection with the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Democrats begin long-shot push to expand the Supreme Court
A group of congressional Democrats introduced legislation Thursday to add four seats to the Supreme Court, a long-shot bid designed to counter the court’s rightward tilt during the Trump administration and criticized by Republicans as a potential power grab that would reduce the public’s trust in the judiciary.
Biden begins to undo Trump’s ban on abortion referrals
The Biden administration on Wednesday began to undo a Trump-era ban on clinics referring women for abortions, a policy directive that drove Planned Parenthood from the federal family planning program and created new complications for women trying to get birth control.
Watchdog lays bare Capitol Police’s riot security failures
A blistering internal report by the U.S. Capitol Police describes a multitude of missteps that left the force unprepared for the Jan. 6 insurrection — riot shields that shattered upon impact, expired weapons that couldn’t be used, inadequate training and an intelligence division that had few set standards.
White House issuing reports on states’ infrastructure needs
The Biden White House is amplifying the push for its $2.3 trillion infrastructure package with the release of state-by-state breakdowns that show the dire shape of roads, bridges, the power grid and housing affordability. Among them, the administration says there is a roughly 4-in-10 chance that a public transit vehicle in Indiana might be ready for the scrap yard.
GOP-led states lose bid to challenge immigration rule
A federal appeals court in California refused Thursday to permit 14 states led by Republican governors to challenge the overturning of a Trump-era immigration rule affecting hundreds of thousands of people. A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 against permitting intervention by the states, including Indiana.
Pence inks two-book deal, launches political advocacy group
Former Vice President Mike Pence has a book deal. His autobiography, currently untitled, is scheduled to come out in 2023. In addition, the former Indiana governor on Wednesday launched an advocacy group, Advancing American Freedom, which will promote the Trump administration’s record and could serve as a springboard for a Pence presidential run in 2024.