Bont: Baseball, politics and the curveballs of crime and punishment
Much like baseball players, politicians (or political operatives) are making headlines for not playing the game by the rules.
Law & Politics
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Roughly 1 in 5 current Indiana legislators initially sent to Statehouse by party caucus
From 2017 through 2019, nine legislators exited the Statehouse before their terms expired, requiring the state’s caucus system to ramp up to handle the large number of vacancies and bringing renewed attention to political party processes that choose who will represent voters. At present, 21.3% of Indiana legislators first entered the Statehouse through a caucus election.
Lawmakers to debate bill change that could determine whether AG Hill stays in office
The Republican-controlled Indiana House on Monday afternoon is expected to consider an amendment to a bill that would force Attorney General Curtis Hill out of office if he loses his law license or is suspended from office for 30 days or more.
Supreme Court will decide fate of Obama health care law
The Supreme Court agreed Monday to decide a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, but the decision is not likely until after the 2020 election.
For a historic high court pick, Dems must think outside box
Joe Biden is dangling a history-making promise shortly before South Carolina’s presidential primary Saturday, the first 2020 contest featuring a majority black electorate. Elect him president, Biden says, and he might nominate the first black woman to the Supreme Court.
Indiana lawmakers agree on tougher tobacco sales penalties
Indiana lawmakers are poised to double the fines stores could face for selling smoking or vaping products to anyone younger than 21 years old.
Domestic battery charges against Lake County official dismissed
Six domestic battery charges have been dismissed against Lake County Recorder Michael B. Brown after his attorneys provided prosecutors with videos showing the alleged victim hitting him in front of children several times and defecating on his personal belongings.
Right to Farm case ends with denial from Indiana Supreme Court
In ultimately denying transfer, a divided Indiana Supreme Court ended a dispute that pitted neighbor against neighbor and raised questions about whether the state’s Right to Farm Act was meant to cover an 8,000-head hog operation in Hendricks County.
Slaughter invites challenges to reviews of agency adjudications
A Fulton County man will not be permitted to build a concrete seawall on his lakefront property after the Indiana Supreme Court unanimously denied transfer to his case. But Justice Geoffrey Slaughter wrote separately to invite legal challenges to the system for adjudicating agency legal disputes like the instant case out of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.
Indiana teacher gun training plan failing amid opposition
A legislative proposal for requiring annual training for teachers who carry guns inside Indiana schools was scuttled amid a disagreement over whether it infringed on gun rights. The legislation also was opposed by groups advocating for gun control.
New Virginia sentencing law ends high court’s DC sniper case
Lee Boyd Malvo, the Washington, D.C., area sniper, and the state of Virginia agreed Monday to dismiss a pending Supreme Court case after the state changed criminal sentencing law for juveniles.
Justices return for season of big decisions, amid campaign
The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to issue campaign-season decisions in the full bloom of spring in cases dealing with President Donald Trump’s tax and other financial records, abortion, LGBT rights, immigration, guns, church-state relations and the environment.
Trump ally Roger Stone sentenced to 40 months in prison
Trump loyalist and ally Roger Stone was sentenced Thursday to more than three years in federal prison, following an extraordinary move by Attorney General William Barr to back off his Justice Department’s original sentencing recommendation.
Kokomo councilman ‘sorry’ for Islamophobic posts won’t resign
An Indiana city councilman whose predecessor resigned after posting Islamophobic comments online says he will not step down after he was also criticized for sharing similar views on Facebook.
Booker T. Washington in Indiana topic of Black History Month CLE
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana celebrated Black History Month last week with a public presentation of Booker T. Washington, an important activist and leader in the African American community.
Indiana pregnancy accommodation proposal unlikely to advance
Indiana legislators aren’t likely to revive a proposal aimed at requiring more businesses to provide workplace accommodations for pregnant women. Gov. Eric Holcomb urged lawmakers to support the proposal, but it was rebuffed in the state Senate by his fellow Republicans earlier this month.
Ruling in Arkansas case creates hurdle for Indiana’s Medicaid work mandates
Indiana’s attempt to impose work requirements on some Medicaid recipients likely suffered a setback Feb. 14 when an appellate court ruled that similar mandates in Arkansas fell outside the core objective of the federal health care program.
Homeland Security waives contracting laws for border wall
The Trump administration said Tuesday it will waive federal contracting laws to speed construction of a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. The Department of Homeland Security said waiving procurement regulations will allow 177 miles of wall to be built more quickly in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
Suspension recommendation casts further uncertainty on AG Hill’s future
The hearing officer presiding over the attorney discipline case against Attorney General Curtis Hill is recommending a 60-day suspension of Hill’s law license, without automatic reinstatement. But how that recommendation might affect Hill’s status as AG or his re-election campaign remains to be seen.
Barr swipes at Trump: Tweets make it ‘impossible’ to do job
Attorney General William Barr publicly swiped at President Donald Trump on Thursday, declaring the president’s tweets about Justice Department prosecutors and open cases “make it impossible for me to do my job.”