2022 in review: Honorable mentions
While the “top stories” of each year are usually easy to define, there are always other stories that, while perhaps not as high-profile, are equally as important to our readers.
legislation
Articles
Biden signs gay marriage law, calls it ‘a blow against hate’
A celebratory crowd of thousands bundled up on a chilly Tuesday afternoon to watch President Joe Biden sign gay marriage legislation into law, a joyful ceremony that was tempered by the backdrop of ongoing backlash over gender issues.
A decade after Sandy Hook, grief remains but hope grows
The families of the 20 students and six educators slain in the Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting will mark a decade without them Wednesday.
Bill protecting same-sex, interracial unions clears Congress
The House gave final approval Thursday to legislation protecting same-sex marriages, a monumental step in a decadeslong battle for nationwide recognition that reflects a stark turnaround in societal attitudes.
Interracial marriages to get added protection under new law
While much of the attention has been focused on protections for same-sex marriages, interracial couples say they are glad Congress also included protections for their marriages, even though their right to marry was well-established decades ago.
Landmark same-sex marriage bill wins Senate passage
The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan legislation Tuesday to protect same-sex marriages, an extraordinary sign of shifting national politics on the issue.
AG asks Indiana Supreme Court to hear COVID case against Ball State
The Indiana attorney general wants the Indiana Supreme Court to weigh in on a lawsuit that seeks punitive damages for COVID-related college campus closures.
AG urges Indiana Supreme Court to approve state’s abortion ban
Calling the order blocking the state’s new abortion ban a “judicial amendment of the Indiana Constitution,” the state of Indiana is assailing the trial court for ignoring the text and history of the state’s founding document in order to invent a new right.
Indy considering outside counsel to test public nuisance law
Indianapolis fought a nine-year legal battle against troubled housing complex owner Towne & Terrace Corp. A City-County Council proposal aims to give the city more fuel in the future against similar properties causing a public nuisance.
RFRA challenge to Indiana abortion ban goes before Marion Superior Court
Arguments were held in court Friday morning between several women and the state of Indiana as to whether the latter’s new abortion law clashes with the Hoosiers’ sincerely held religious beliefs under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
US high court asked to undo Indiana Lake Michigan ruling
Three property owners with land along northwest Indiana’s Lake Michigan shoreline have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to undo a 2018 ruling by Indiana’s high court that declared the shoreline is owned by the state for the public’s enjoyment.
Trial court blocks enforcement of Indiana’s new abortion law
Seven days after Indiana’s near-total abortion ban took effect, the Monroe Circuit Court granted a preliminary injunction Thursday blocking the state from enforcing the new law.
House to vote on election law overhaul in response to Jan. 6
The House will vote on an overhaul of a centuries-old election law, an effort to prevent presidential candidates from trying to subvert the popular will.
Democrats punt same-sex marriage vote until after election
Democrats are punting a vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages until after the November midterm elections, pulling back just days after Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed to put the Senate on the record on the issue “in the coming weeks.”
House OKs bill to curb political interference with census
The U.S. House passed legislation Thursday intended to make it harder for presidents to interfere with the once-a-decade census that determines political power and federal funding.
First day of new abortion law brings diverse reactions
With Indiana’s new abortion ban in effect starting today, the state’s Democratic senators, representatives and candidates spent the day decrying the law passed by the Legislature earlier this summer while Republicans remained mostly quiet.
Trans girls’ sports ban: Rokita opposes Title IX changes, female athletes file amici brief supporting the state
Efforts supporting a law restricting transgender girls from participating in girls’ K-12 sports continued this week, with Attorney General Todd Rokita opposing proposed Title IX changes and a group of female athletes filing a brief in support of the ban.
Web Exclusive: Recent COA opinions prompt more questions for future of marijuana laws in Indiana
While debates over the legalization of marijuana are nothing new, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has given the Indiana Legislature’s Interim Study Committee on Public Health, Behavioral Health, and Human Services a new wrinkle.
2nd lawsuit challenges Indiana’s abortion ban on religious freedom grounds
The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana filed a second lawsuit today against the state’s new abortion law, claiming Senate Enrolled Act 1 violates Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act.
No longer young, ‘dreamers’ uneasily watch a legal challenge
“Dreamers,” long a symbol of immigrant youth, are increasingly easing into middle age as eligibility requirements have been frozen since 2012, when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program was introduced.