Indiana governor faces debate challenges over virus actions
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb took on conservative criticism over his coronavirus pandemic orders as he faced his two reelection challengers in a televised debate Tuesday night.
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Indiana GOP candidate’s Facebook post condemned by party leaders
Republican officials have denounced a Facebook posting by one of the party’s Indiana congressional candidates about white supremacy.
SCOTUS allows 3-day extension for Pennsylvania ballots
The Supreme Court of the United States will allow Pennsylvania to count mailed-in ballots received up to three days after the Nov. 3 election, rejecting a Republican plea in the presidential battleground state.
Protest arrests show regular Americans, not urban antifa
President Donald Trump portrays the hundreds of people arrested nationwide in protests against racial injustice as violent urban left-wing radicals. But an Associated Press review of thousands of pages of court documents tell a different story.
Justice Department files landmark antitrust case against Google
The Justice Department filed a lawsuit Tuesday alleging Google has been abusing its dominance in online search to stifle competition and harm consumers. Attorneys general from 11 states, including Indiana, are plaintiffs in the case.
Senate to work through weekend to push Barrett onto court
Wasting no time, the Senate is on track to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court by next Monday, charging toward a rare weekend session as Republicans push past procedural steps to install President Donald Trump’s pick before Election Day.
Rokita closes fundraising gap with Weinzapfel in AG race
The fundraising gap between Indiana attorney general candidates Todd Rokita and Jonathan Weinzapfel has closed, with Rokita finishing the third quarter of 2020 with a slight lead over his Democratic challenger. Both candidates are entering the final weeks of the race with a little more than $1 million, much of which has come from interest groups.
AG Hill: Holcomb violated constitution with COVID church closures
Gov. Eric Holcomb’s restriction on in-person religious gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic was a violation of the First Amendment, Attorney General Curtis Hill said in a new advisory opinion. His opinion comes despite recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that have upheld state restrictions on churches imposed in response to the pandemic.
Indiana officials outline response to state’s virus hotspots
Indiana health officials confirmed 28 more COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, and the state’s seven-day rolling average of new cases of the respiratory disease has doubled in three weeks.
Senate Judiciary sets Oct. 22 vote on Barrett’s nomination
The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday set an Oct. 22 vote on Amy Coney Barrett’s Supreme Court nomination as Republicans race to confirm President Donald Trump’s pick before the Nov. 3 election.
Holcomb extends Indiana mask mandate; health commissioner tests positive
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb on Wednesday said he would extend the state’s mask mandate for another month amid sharply rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations. He made the announcement while revealing that Dr. Kristina Box, the state’s health commissioner, had tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.
Barrett tells doubtful Democrats she’d keep open mind on court
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett presented herself Wednesday in her final round of Senate confirmation questioning as a judge with a traditional approach, holding deep personal and religious beliefs but committed to keeping an open mind on what would become a 6-3 conservative majority court.
7th Circuit upholds noon Election Day deadline for receipt of absentee ballots
Absentee ballots received by local election officials after noon on Election Day will not be counted, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled, reversing a lower court that had issued an injunction in light of likely mail slowdowns caused by a surge in mail-in voting due to the pandemic.
SCOTUS won’t revive Trump emoluments case brought by Democrats
The United States Supreme Court declined Tuesday to revive a lawsuit filed by members of Congress against President Donald Trump alleging that he illegally profits off the presidency.
Called ‘unashamedly pro-life,’ Barrett faces senators anew
Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett returned to Capitol Hill for a third day of confirmation hearings Wednesday, called “unashamedly pro-life” by her Republican Senate champion with Democrats running out of time to stop her quick confirmation.
VP debate takeaways: Pandemic looms over a more civil fight
Vice President Mike Pence faced considerable pressure at Wednesday’s debate to boost coronavirus-stricken President Donald Trump’s flagging reelection hopes, while California Democratic Sen. Kamala Harris balanced her role as Joe Biden’s validator with her own historic presence as the first Black woman on a major party national ticket.
Indiana attorney general candidates split over virus powers
Indiana’s attorney general candidates are divided over how the Republican governor has used the state’s emergency powers law to impose a mask mandate and other coronavirus-related executive orders that have stirred discord among conservative voters.
Democrats ask if more material omitted from Barrett response
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are calling on the Justice Department to provide any missing materials from a questionnaire completed by Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett. Confirmation hearings for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals judge and Notre Dame law professor remain scheduled to begin next week.
7th Circuit affirms restrictions on absentee voting; judge stays injunction in noon deadline case
The effort to allow all Hoosiers to vote by absentee ballot in the November presidential election has been blocked by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals which, in an echo of the state’s argument, found Election Day is too close to make any changes now. In a separate case, a judge temporarily stayed pending appeal an order blocking an Indiana law that requires absentee ballots be received by noon to be counted.
AG candidate profile: Weinzapfel says attorney general should be about policy, not politics
Democratic former Evansville Mayor and lawmaker Jonathan Weinzapfel said if elected attorney general, his actions would be based on policy, not politics, and Hoosiers’ best interests. Read Weinzapfel’s recent Q&A with Indiana Lawyer’s sibling publication, the Indianapolis Business Journal.