Indiana Republican official endorses Democrat Weinzapfel for AG
The Republican leader of Indiana’s Education Department is backing Democrat Jonathan Weinzapfel in his bid for attorney general, calling on other members of the GOP to follow suit.
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Appeals court upholds judgment for 4 cities in RFRA lawsuit
A lawsuit challenging Indiana’s controversial Religious Freedom Restoration Act will not proceed, for now, after the Indiana Court of Appeals declined to reverse summary judgment for four cities with nondiscrimination ordinances. The appellate panel found that the conservative organizations challenging the RFRA “fix” lacked standing to challenge the ordinances on free speech and religious exercise grounds.
Virtual CLE today focuses on patents, politics of COVID-19
The Indiana University Maurer School of Law, Eli Lilly & Co. and Roche are partnering for a virtual discussion today, “Pharmaceutical Innovations: Patents and the Politics of COVID-19.”
Merritt resigning after 30 years in state Senate
A longtime Republican state lawmaker who was unsuccessful last year in his bid to become mayor of Indianapolis is stepping down from his seat in November.
Ex-cop who shot Black man reaches plea on unrelated charge
A white former South Bend police officer whose fatal shooting of a Black man last year roiled then-Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign has agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge stemming from an alleged on-duty sexual encounter he had a month before that shooting.
Marion County bars, nightclubs can reopen Tuesday with restrictions
Bars and nightclubs in Marion County will be allowed to reopen Tuesday, but only under strict limitations, Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett announced Thursday morning.
9 finalists named for Marion Superior Court vacancies
A pool of 41 applicants to fill upcoming vacancies on the Marion Superior Court has been winnowed down to nine finalists, whose names will now go to the governor for his selection. All but one of the finalists is currently a Marion County judicial officer.
Farm feud: CAFO challenge turns to U.S. Supreme Court
Hendricks County families who live with the odor from a nearby 8,000-hog farm for years have lost their nuisance, negligence and trespass claims against the concentrated animal feeding operation. After unsuccessfully seeking relief from the Indiana Court of Appeals and a divided Indiana Supreme Court, they are now turning to the U.S. Supreme Court.
New law for a new century: NEPA ‘modernization’ could limit public input on environmental impacts, lawyers say
For the last 50 years, Americans have had a say in how these projects impacted their neighborhoods through the National Environmental Policy Act. But environmental groups and lawyers have concerns that could change under a new Trump Administration rule set to take effect this week.
Indiana, other states seeking SCOTUS amici status in COVID-19 chemical abortion case
The office of Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill is asking the United States Supreme Court for permission to intervene in abortion litigation seeking to uphold chemical abortion procedures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
House to subpoena postmaster general over mail delays
The House Oversight Committee intends to subpoena Postmaster General Louis DeJoy for documents about disruptions in mail delivery operations that are now central to questions over the ability to handle an onslaught of mail-in ballots expected for the November election.
Indiana ordered to reply by Monday to vote-by-mail appeal
The state of Indiana has been ordered to respond by Monday to an appeal in a federal lawsuit seeking no-excuse absentee voting in the Nov. 3 general election, signaling the appellate court in Chicago may fast-track the challenge over mail-in voting just over two months ahead of the election.
Watchdog groups charge Republican Convention appearances broke Hatch Act
Two White House officials violated the Hatch Act by participating in choreographed events that were aired during this week’s Republican National Convention, according to two separate ethics complaints filed by government watchdog groups.
Trump lashes Biden, defies pandemic on White House stage
President Donald Trump blasted Joe Biden as a hapless career politician who will endanger Americans’ safety as he accepted his party’s renomination on the South Lawn of the White House. While the coronavirus kills 1,000 Americans each day, Trump defied his own administration’s pandemic guidelines to speak for more than an hour to a tightly packed, largely maskless crowd.
Pence defends police at convention amid rising race tension
Vice President Mike Pence forcefully defended law enforcement but made no mention of the Black Americans killed by police this year as he addressed Republican convention proceedings that unfolded amid new protests against racial injustice following the latest shooting.
Indiana again asks full 7th Circuit to hear parental-notice abortion case
Indiana has once again asked that the full U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals consider and uphold the Hoosier state’s requirement that parents be notified when their minor children seek abortions, Attorney General Curtis Hill announced Wednesday.
Only Native American on federal death row set to be executed
The only Native American on federal death row is set to die Wednesday for the slayings of a 9-year-old and her grandmother nearly two decades ago, though many Navajos are hoping for last-minute intervention by President Donald Trump to halt the execution at the federal prison in Terre Haute.
Former IU athletic director Glass joining Taft law firm
Former Indiana University Director of Athletics Fred Glass plans to resume his law career in October, joining the Indianapolis office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP as a partner.
Federal appeals court finds parts of anti-riot law violate free speech
A federal appeals court on Monday upheld the convictions of two members of a white supremacist group who admitted they punched and kicked counter-demonstrators during the 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. However, the panel found that part of an anti-riot law used to prosecute them “treads too far upon constitutionally protected speech.”
NY AG probes if Trump pumped up value of estate, assets
New York’s attorney general asked a court Monday to compel some of President Donald Trump’s business associates, including his son, Eric, to testify and turn over documents as part of her investigation into whether the president’s company lied about the value of its assets in order to get loans or tax benefits.