AG Hill may have violated law in online ad
Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill Jr. may have violated a state ethics law prohibiting officeholders from using their names in audio, video or newspaper ads paid for with state funds.
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Memo shows Kavanaugh resisted indicting a sitting president
Newly released documents from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time on the Kenneth Starr team investigating Bill Clinton reveal his resistance to issuing an indictment of a sitting president. The memo, tucked toward the end of nearly 10,000 pages released Friday, provides greater insight into Kavanaugh’s views on executive power that are expected to feature prominently in his Senate confirmation hearings next month.
Attorney General taking fight against early voting consent decree to 7th Circuit
In defending the Indiana Attorney General’s objection to an agreement about early voting, Indiana Solicitor General Thomas M. Fisher said the action is “rather routine” and the office would be submitting additional filings to the courts, including an appeal to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The comments came two days after the attorney general filed a motion challenging the consent decree establishing five early voting sites in Marion County.
ABA House of Delegates urges support for transgender military services
The American Bar Association House of Delegates voted in favor of a resolution that urges the federal government to recognize that transgender persons should not be discriminated against in applying for United States Armed Forces based on gender identity.
Star witness Gates resumes testimony in Manafort trial
A day after testifying against longtime boss Paul Manafort, Rick Gates returned to the witness stand Tuesday as the government’s star witness in the financial fraud trial of President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman.
Indiana included in $1.1 settlement with Anchor Glass
Indiana will receive $275,000 as its part of a $1.1 million civil penalty against Anchor Glass Container Corp. for emitting harmful pollutants in violation of the Clean Air Act. The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a proposed settlement agreement Monday with Anchor Glass to improve compliance at its glass manufacturing facilities in six states, including a manufacturing plant in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.
Manafort’s ‘right-hand man’ Gates to testify in fraud trial
The most critical moment in the financial fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will likely arrive this week with the testimony of his “right-hand man” — the person defense attorneys blame for any crimes. Rick Gates has been a key cooperator for special counsel Robert Mueller’s team after he cut a plea deal earlier this year.
Shifting strategy, Democrats to begin meeting with Kavanaugh
After weeks of refusing to meet with Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, Democrats in the Senate plan to begin meeting with him when they start returning to Washington in mid-August, a senior Democratic aide said Friday.
Judge in Manafort trial brings short fuse and sharp wit
Lawyers who have appeared before Thomas Selby Ellis III, the judge hearing the Paul Manafort trial, said he likes to be seen as the smartest person in the courtroom, not a huge leap for a judge. With his Princeton-Harvard-Oxford education and experience spanning consequential cases in an era of war and terrorism Ellis is known to cut lawyers down to size, sometimes subtly, sometimes not so much.
Archives: Kavanaugh documents not ready until end of October
The National Archives and Records Administration said Thursday it won’t be able to finish reviewing nearly 1 million documents regarding Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s time in the George W. Bush White House until the end of October, a potential roadblock in GOP hopes for confirmation before the November election.
Follow the money: Bookkeepers to testify in Manafort trial
Prosecutors will ask jurors today to follow the money in the Paul Manafort trial, a trail they say shows the former campaign chairman took millions from wealthy Ukrainian clients, then hid it from banks and the IRS.
Democrats ramp up fight for Kavanaugh documents
Senate Democrats intensified their fight Tuesday over documents related to Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s stint as staff secretary at the White House, pursuing a paper trail on his views of key issues that played out during the George W. Bush administration.
Gov. Holcomb advocates for hate crime law after synagogue vandalism
Republican Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb is calling on the General Assembly to pass a hate crimes bill after someone spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti at a suburban Indianapolis synagogue. Holcomb said Monday he’ll meet with lawmakers, legal experts, corporate leaders and “citizens of all stripes who are seeking to find consensus on this issue so that, once and for all, we can move forward as a state."
AG Hill defends ACA lawsuit despite demands for withdrawal
Despite demands for Indiana to be withdrawn from a federal lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, Attorney General Curtis Hill said he will continue to lead Indiana’s opposition to the “unconstitutional” law. Hill said “the foundation on which the Supreme Court built its justification for Obamacare’s constitutionality ceased to exist” when Congress repealed the individual mandate tax.
Sessions defends deputy after impeachment move
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended his top deputy Thursday after a handful of congressional Republicans moved this week to impeach him.<
AG Hill fights sexual harassment allegations, launches separate challenges
Since a memo was released detailing Curtis Hill’s alleged sexual misconduct at a party celebrating the end of the 2018 legislative session, the Indiana Attorney General has continued to fight back, even as calls for his resignation persist. This week, a nonprofit for his legal defense was announced.
Alcohol commission will study permits, quota system
Coming off the successful passage of Sunday sales legislation during the 2018 Indiana legislative session, the Alcohol Code Revision Commission re-convened for the first time on July 18 to chart its course for this year’s study topics. While the commission’s work last year focused on more specific topics like Sunday sales, this year’s group has been charged with studying more general issues, including alcohol permits, the state’s quota structure and the causes and effects of over-consumption.
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.
Democrats fault Kavanaugh comment on independent counsel law
Democrats opposing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination are seizing on remarks he made in 2016 saying he would like to put the “final nail” in a Supreme Court precedent upholding an independent counsel law as constitutional. Republicans are pushing back, saying Kavanaugh’s comment is being distorted.
US intelligence chief, former IN Senator is harsh on Russia, at odds with Trump
National Intelligence director Dan Coats’ drumbeat of criticism against Russia is clashing loudly with President Donald Trump’s pro-Kremlin remarks, leaving the soft-spoken spy chief in an uncomfortable — and perhaps perilous — place in the administration. Coats was an Indiana senator until January 2017.